Rainy Days and Mondays
by LaneIA
Summary: The rain has been falling for days and it is causing trouble for the men and women of the California Highway Patrol. For Barry Baricza, it could prove deadly.
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes: This is my first CHiPs fiction, so go easy on me. I grew up watching this on tv and my favorite character was Barry Baricza. What wasn't to love? Tall, dark, handsome and that smile! I colored my Ken doll's hair black and pretended he was Barry.

CHiPs belongs to others, not me. I write this for pure fun and enjoyment, so if you would like to sue me for something you ought to know that you won't get much.

Reviews are appreciated, especially to let me know if I am keeping true to the characters.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

The men and women of the first shift at CHIP Central were quieter than normal; the rain that had been falling for the last five days had dampened the ground as well has their normal high spirits. Francis "Ponch" Poncerello was sitting on the corner of one of the tables talking with Sindy Cahill. His normal 100-watt smile was absent from his face. "What about next Saturday?"

"Sorry Ponch. No is my final answer. I'm sure you are a real great catch and I know you are a wonderful guy, but I'm not comfortable dating someone I work with."

"But, Sindy, who better to understand what you are going through when you come off of a tough shift; A companion that will be with you and give you someone to talk to?"

"If I want an understanding companion, I'll get a dog." She smiled at Frank sweetly. "Plus, it would be house broken."

"She's got your number Ponch!" Artie Grossman laughed, his face flushing with humor as the other officers joined in with the good natured ribbing.

"Hey! I'm house broken." The chippie retorted. "Jon even lets me sit on his furniture now."

"Yeah, but you still want to leave your ding-dong wrappers lying around." His blonde partner replied.

The teasing would have continued but the door to the briefing room opened and Sergeant Joe Getraer walked in. His face grim, he moved to the lectern at the front of the room. "If you are about finished Poncerello, we pay you to work, not fill your black book."

"Oh, I wasn't. I mean, "Ponch was flustered. "I don't think about Officer Cahill that way."

"I don't want to hear it Poncerello."

Ponch took his seat, and Getraer started going over the morning report. After the normal rundown on outstanding warrants, announcements and bulletins Getraer looked up at his officers. "Don't shoot the messenger, but the forecast for the next three days is for continued rain."

Groans from the officers were cut short as Getraer held up his hand for silence. "I know, just be careful. They say by the weekend we should start to see the sun again."

Grossman raised his hand. "Any chance the motor officers could ride along in units today?"

Getraer's look answered the question. "I doubt you are in danger of melting Grossman. Make sure you have your raingear. If there's nothing else, hit the streets."

The officers gathered their belongings and began moving towards the door.

"What time do you want us at the gym for practice tonight?" Grossman asked Ponch.

"If everyone can be there by 5 p.m. we should be able to get several hours of practice in." Ponch's enthusiasm for the game was evident in his tone. "I've got some new plays for us to run."

"I hope they're better than the last ones." Barry "Bear" Baricza slapped a hand on Ponch's shoulder. Being over 6 feet tall, Barry was the tallest player on their team.

"What was wrong with those plays?"

"Ponch, any play that relies on Grossie for a fast break is doomed." Barry didn't wait for a reply as he moved past and began talking with Sindy.

"Hey, Bear." Ponch hurried to catch up. "That's the beauty of the play. No one will be expecting it. Besides we'll just have Grossie wait on that end of the court. We get the ball and whip it down to Grossie who lays it up for an easy two."

"Ponch, don't you think the other team will be suspicious when they see him camped out under the basket?"

"They'll be too busy shooting the ball because they'll have the number advantage." Jon cut into the conversation.

Ponch's smile never faltered. "But that's why we have you, Turner and Bear to block the shots. No problem!"

Jon shook his head, "See Bear, no problem. We just block the shots." Jon's voice was full of humor.

"Jon, when Ponch says no problem, that's when I start to worry." Barry smiled as he walked out into the rain and hurried to his cruiser.

As predicted, the rain continued throughout the morning. Barry and Sindy had decided to meet for lunch at a small diner that was located near the point where their patrol areas overlapped. It was a popular spot for many of the officers. Sindy was already seated and looking at the menu when Barry walked in.

She looked up and he could see a smile play across her face before returning to a more sober looking expression.

"Go ahead and laugh Sindy. You know you want to." He slid into the opposite side of the booth.

A smile formed again and the humor was evident in her speech. "So, how was your morning?"

Barry glanced down at his mud speckled shirt and his khaki pants that bore the trace remainders of the mud that had been flung when he had helped an elderly lady change her tire. He had managed to get the blown tire off and the replacement on without incident. She had thanked him and then proceeded to get her rear wheel stuck in the soft mud at the edge of the shoulder. He had pushed the car and as the tires spun, it had flung mud and dirty water at him. Suddenly free, the elderly woman had waved as she pulled back onto the freeway, leaving him covered in mud.

"That's what I get for being a nice guy." Barry had said after finishing his story.

Sindy reached over and squeezed his hand. "I happen to like nice guys."

"How about dirty ones?" He teased.

"Especially those." She grinned back at him.

The waitress approached their booth and took the orders; a salad for Sindy and a hot roast beef sandwich with extra potatoes and gravy for Barry.

"I don't know how you can eat like that and never put on a pound."

"Good metabolism. I'm trying to start to really watch it. Dad isn't as lean as he once was, but I've also got six inches on him."

"So where do you get your height."

"Believe it or not, my Mom. She's only 5'7", but my uncles are all over 6 foot. One even played two years of pro ball. I remember going to see him play in college when I was young."

"As much as you enjoy basketball, I'm surprised you didn't go that route. You did play ball in college didn't you?" Sindy knew some of Barry's history.

"Two years in junior college. I got my fill of the politics that go along with upper level athletics."

"That bad?"

Barry nodded. "The NCAA has rules, but there are plenty of times when no one is looking very hard. I played with a couple of guys that couldn't make the grade, so they hired tutors for them. Amazingly, these guys suddenly started pulling down A's in every class. One of them let on that he always got a study guide before exams. We were in the same course and he let me see one. It was a duplicate copy of the test."

"You're kidding." Sindy was incredulous.

"Nope. I even went to Coach to talk with him about it. I thought that he needed to know that these players weren't doing their own work." Barry paused as the waitress brought their drinks. He took a sip of his iced tea.

"What did he say?" Sindy squeezed lemon into her water.

"He told me to stop asking questions and not to be so naïve. I also found myself getting a lot more heat during practice."

"How so?" Sindy put the straw into her glass.

"A lot more fouls and elbows being thrown at me. Coach never warned the others to back off. I'd go up for a shot and get my legs taken out from under me. I looked like a walking bruise from all of the elbows that I caught."

"That's terrible. The coach didn't do anything about it?"

"Nope. It eventually got better when they realized that I was going to keep my mouth shut. I had talked with my uncle and he said that it happened everywhere and it would be best not to rock the boat. So, I left it alone. One of those guys went on to play at UCLA."

"I suppose UCLA had a "tutoring program" also?"

"I wouldn't doubt it." Not wanting to dwell on a negative part of his past, Barry looked out the window at the rain. "Day like today I'm glad I'm not a motor officer."

Sindy laughed, "Poor Grossman. I saw him looking at my car with his big, sad puppy eyes."

"They never complain when the weather is nice and we have to drive around in a hot metal box."

"Or when we get stuck in traffic, they can just zip around it." Sindy added.

They continued to talk until the waitress brought their meals. She sat a large platter down in front of Barry; brown gravy covering the sandwich and potatoes.

"Looks like you won't have to be careful not to spill on your shirt today." The waitress quipped.

"Why do you think I ordered the extra gravy?" He gave her a big smile.

She sat a bowl of salad in front of Sindy. "Can I get you anything else?"

Sindy shook her head, but Barry asked her to stop back about dessert.

"Sure thing. We've got fresh peach pie that came out of the oven a couple of hours ago."

"That sounds great. Save me a piece." Having frequented this restaurant, the waitress knew his weakness for peach or cherry pie.

"Warmed up and ice cream?"

"Am I that predictable?" Barry smiled widened.

The waitress laughed. "I read you like a book." She walked off, leaving the two alone again.

Both Sindy and Barry began eating; knowing that their lunch breaks would be over all too soon.

Just as he was finishing the last of his potatoes, the waitress brought over his pie and a cup of coffee. "I brought coffee, figured you would need something to cut the sweetness of that pie."

"Thanks." He replied as she picked up his dinner plate. Spooning a bite into his mouth he made a satisfied sound. "That is delicious. Here," he scooped up another bite and extended it over to Sindy. "Try it."

Sindy took the bite and smiled at Barry. "That is good."

"Can I bring you a slice?" The waitress inquired.

"I'll pass. I would have to do an extra hour of aerobics to burn that off."

"I'll get the check." The waitress left with their lunch dishes.

Barry smiled and winked. "I can think of a better way to burn off those calories."

"Barry!" Sindy looked around to see if anyone else had heard. She lowered her voice. "We agreed that we weren't going to tell anyone about us."

"I'm not telling anyone." Barry's smiling face had turned serious. "I don't like sneaking around like this, acting like a criminal. Listening to Ponch hitting on you today was driving me crazy."

"Ponch wouldn't be Ponch if he wasn't hitting on someone. Besides, I can take care of myself."

Barry frowned and continued, "I know that, but it's hard to not show my feelings for you. We go to parties separately and just act surprised to see one another there. At the house warming party for Ponch I didn't even get to talk to you. If we aren't at my place or yours you act like you barely know me."

"I don't want anyone calling into question my ability to do my job. We've talked about this before. How do you think I feel when girls are hitting on you? I like you a lot Barry, but I don't want to take the risk of someone from working finding out just yet. Having people take me seriously at work is important to me."

"I know." Barry reached out and squeezed her hand. "But after four months of dating, it's getting harder."

Any further discussion was curtailed by the waitress bringing the bill. Barry grabbed the ticket and stood up. "My treat today. You can pay next time."

Sindy could hear the frustration in his voice and she followed him up to the cashier. After he had paid, they both walked back out into the light rain that was still falling. She knew that Barry's normal good mood had hidden behind the cloud that was her reluctance to go public with their dating. "Do you want to stop by after practice tonight?" She hoped to revive his good mood.

"I'll have to drop Grossie off after practice." He opened up her cruiser's door for her. "It would be late."

"I don't mind."

"I'll give you a call from the gym and let you know."

"Barry, I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. I understand."

"Come over tonight and we can talk about it."

"I'll try. Stay safe." He shut her door and moved to his own cruiser. Once in he used the radio to clear himself back into service and pulled out of the parking lot.

Sindy watched him pull out as she radioed in her own status. "Be safe too," She whispered. Little did she know that the following hours would put their relationship in jeopardy.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes: Sorry about the delay. I had my own "Rainy Monday" issue. On July 11, a straight-line wind storm with winds clocking 100-130 miles an hour tore through our area. The barn roof is gone, trees down everywhere and no power for three days. Add in the County Fair started that Wednesday and you have a week from Hell. So my life is a little saner, so here is chapter two.

Also, normally I would research my locations a little better, but for the sake of speed, I didn't. So pretend that somewhere off of the Highway 118 (Simi Valley Freeway) there is still some slightly rugged areas. There might be, but I can't prove it one way or another. Also, in my world, Jeb and Sindy were working for CHP at the same time.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

The next several hours were mainly spent driving back and forth over his assigned freeway route. The rain had continued steadily and the police radio stayed quiet except for the occasional call. "One good thing about rainy days," Barry mused, "is most people aren't up to anything."

Ahead, taillights began flashing as the traffic ground to a halt. "Spoke too soon," he muttered. Flipping on the squad's lights, Barry started to move slowly towards where the problem originated.

The cars ahead of him moved to the right as best they could and Barry jockeyed around the stopped vehicles. It was almost a mile down the road when he finally saw the wreck. Four cars were tangled up with one another, but fortunately none of them appeared to be too badly damaged. They wouldn't be going anywhere under their own power, but there didn't look to be any serious injuries, "Better radio for several tow trucks." He thought to himself. Picking up the microphone for the squad's radio, Barry gave his location, the situation and what he felt they needed to dispatch to the location.

A small crowd stood in the rain, looking at the smashed vehicles and from the looks of their body language, assessing the blame for the accident. The arrival of the police cruiser did not go unnoticed and some of the group broke off; three heading for the officer and several back to their own cars. Barry was just putting the car into park when another car pulled from around the accident and onto the shoulder. Once clear, it bumped back onto the roadway and accelerated quickly. "Impatient jerks." He thought. There were people like that at every accident, more worried about their own inconvenience then anyone else's safety.

A woman who had been standing around the other cars began to run after the departing car. Realizing the futility of it, she turned towards the police car. Barry stepped from his car and he could hear her shouting.

"They've got my baby! My baby is in the back seat!" She ran to Barry, sobbing. "They took my car and Jeffery is sleeping in his car seat."

"Stay here." Barry looked at a woman standing near her own car. "Help her please. Someone will be here soon." He ducked back into his cruiser and put it into drive. Weaving around people and cars he took off in pursuit of the fleeing vehicle.

"7 Adam in pursuit of a stolen 1974 AMC Hornet wagon, east bound on 118. Be advised, there is a child in the car."

The dispatcher then repeated the information for all units to hear and then Barry heard Sindy's voice. She had just arrived at the scene of the accident and was requesting additional back-up.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Sindy exited from her car and hurried over to where the crying woman was. There were five others around her. One of the by-standers had opened the door of a nearby car and had led the distraught woman over to sit down. Sindy crouched down and spoke in reassuring tones to the woman. "Ma'am, I'm Officer Cahill. I have some questions to ask if I may."

The woman nodded and wiped her eyes with a tissue. It was damp from crying or from the rain that was coming in the open door of the car.

"What is your name please?"

"Mrs. Bruce Lewis, Sheila. My baby, Jeffery, is in my car." Her voice was tear-choked. "Have you found him yet?"

"We are working on it. Did you know the man who took your car?" Sindy hoped that perhaps this might all be some sort of misunderstanding.

"No. I had stopped because of the accident. It was lucky I wasn't going very fast or I would have been a part of the crash also. I was right behind it. Everyone was stopped and I decided to get out and see if there was anything I could do to help. I had some nurses training and I thought if anyone was injured I might help. The other officer had just pulled up and two men ran over to my car and took off with it."

"So there were two men?" Sindy wanted to clarify.

"Yes."

"Do you know where they came from?"

One of the men standing by the car piped up. "Their car is one of the wrecked ones. They were driving that brown Nova that rear-ended the Dodge. They were alright, but the guy driving was mad. I thought he was going to punch out the guy with the Dodge." He waved in the direction of an older man holding a bloody towel to his forehead. "She's right, as soon they saw the cop they got real nervous."

Sindy nodded, "Do you know your license plate number ma'am?"

The woman shook her head, tears falling again. "No. Oh my God. What am I going to tell Bruce?"

"Is there someone I can contact for you ma'am?" Sindy wanted to get some of the information into dispatch as quickly as possible.

"My husband Bruce is at work. His number is 555-2878. If you could tell him for me I would appreciate it."

"Certainly." Sindy noticed Jeb Turner's car pulling up. She went over to the car that the man had indicated had belonged to the men that had stolen the woman's car. Writing down the make and model and plate number, she returned to her car to contact dispatch with the information. After giving them everything she had uncovered, Sindy waited for confirmation and anything else that might help her.

The radio crackled, "Seven Adam, suspect's car has just passed mile marker 84. Do I have any units near my location?" Barry's voice sounded tense.

"Negative." The dispatcher intoned. "There has been another accident west bound Highway 118."

The radio crackled again, Barry's voice cutting out slightly. "10-4 dispatch."

Another minute went by before dispatch spoke again. "Seven Charles, the Nova license number 386 Victor King Mary, was reported stolen this morning. Also a Nova fitting this description was seen leaving the scene of a robbery at First California Bank and Trust on Ranchero Drive. Be advised suspects were armed. We will send a car to pick up the husband."

"10-4, dispatch. " Sindy answered and walked back to the woman. "They are getting a hold of your husband and they'll bring him here."

"Thank you. Have you heard anything about Jeffery?"

"No, but the officer who was here first is following them."

"What if they decide to hurt Jeffery?"

"Ma'am, let's not think about anything other than a positive outcome." Sindy didn't want to voice her own concerns for the child's safety. "Can you tell me anything about the two men?"

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

"Negative." The dispatcher intoned. "There has been another accident west bound Highway 118."

"10-4 dispatch." Barry responded. No help for a while, he would have to make sure that he didn't lose sight of the vehicle. He could see the vehicle in question further ahead of him, weaving and cutting through traffic. The rain had picked up again and it was making it harder to see. Pressing down on his accelerator, Barry attempted to close the gap.

Without out warning, the Hornet wagon veered onto the off ramp. With a quick look over his shoulder and a foot firmly on the accelerator, Barry slid across three lanes of traffic, barely making the ramp. He felt the rear end of his car drift slightly as he turned at the bottom of the off ramp.

He had just picked up his microphone to alert dispatch to the new direction that his pursuit was taking him when a car from the cross street pulled out in front of him. Dropping the microphone, Barry was able to brake and swerve to avoid the collision. Seeing the Hornet wagon disappearing over a rise, Barry concentrated on accelerating to maintain a visual on the; the microphone temporarily forgotten.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

"Goddamn it! The cop is still back there!" Rod Larson, currently riding shotgun in the Hornet exploded. "Can't this heap go any faster?"

"We weren't in the position to be choosy." The driver retorted. "We'll lose him soon enough."

Rod turned in the seat, looking back at the flashing lights. The police cruiser had so far managed to stick on their tail. For the first time an item in the backseat caught his eye. "Mother of God, there's a baby in the back!"

"What!"

"A baby in a car seat. That cop ain't gonna stop for nothing if we got a kid. They'll charge us with kidnapping too. That can get us life!"

The driver, Mike Serpe, tried to coax more speed from the engine. "There are some areas up ahead that will give us the advantage. Just shut up and hang on."

"I didn't sign on for this," Rod groused. "You said it would be a simple job; in and out. You said that the bank always had lots of cash on Monday's. Now we're looking at serious jail time and for what? Maybe eight grand."

"If you don't can it, I'm going to push you out of this car and let the cop have you." Mike spun the wheel and headed the car down a side street that led away from the housing tracts that had sprung up in the foothills.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Jeb Turner was burning up. The rain slicker did a great job of keeping the rain from drenching his uniform, but it also acted like a hothouse; keeping his body heat inside. He waved the traffic along and watched as the first wrecker pulled into position. He hated rainy days.

A police cruiser pulled up and a man jumped out of the passenger seat as soon as it had stopped. He hurried over to a second cruiser where a woman was sitting.

"Sheila! Oh my god, are you alright honey?"

Standing up and falling into his embrace, she began to cry again. "Oh Bruce, I'm so sorry. I stopped to help and they took the car."

"It's alright, I'm just glad you're not hurt. Is Jeffery at your mom's?"

"No," her face cracked. "He was in the car with me."

"But where is he?" Bruce did not understand the implication.

"He was in the car when they stole it." She buried her face in his chest and sobbed.

Bruce pushed her slightly back so he could look at her. "You left him in the car?"

"I was right here. The traffic wasn't moving. I was worried that someone might be hurt." Sheila pleaded for his understanding. "I didn't know, how could I have known?"

Sindy was used to seeing people react in a variety of ways. One that she could never understand was when people would blame someone they loved for what could only be called an accident. Right now this couple needed to draw together for one another, not push each other away. "Mr. Lewis. I'm Officer Cahill. It would appear that two men who were involved in the crash were fleeing from a robbery they had committed earlier. They saw the first officer on scene and panicked. We do have an officer pursuing them."

"An officer? Shouldn't there be more?" Bruce Lewis glared. "This isn't a speeding ticket we are talking about, these criminals have my son."

"We are very much aware of that sir and we are going to do everything we can to bring Jeffery back home safe." Sindy saw Sergeant Getraer's car pull up and felt a rush of relief. He would be the one to deal with the couple now. She wondered if there had been any news from Barry.

"Officer Cahill," Sergeant Getraer had made his way over to the small group of people that still stood around the couple.

"Sergeant Getraer, this is Sheila and Bruce Lewis. Their child is the one that is in the car."

"Mr. and Mrs. Lewis," he held out his hand to shake. "I'm sorry we meet under such circumstances. I assure you we are doing everything to find your son. If you come with me I would like to take you to CHP headquarters. There is some information we need to get and you will be much more comfortable than standing here in the rain."

Getraer's demeanor seemed to diffuse the anger that had been building in Mr. Lewis. The shock was evident in his eyes as he put his arm around his wife. "Alright. Sheila, I'm sorry I snapped at you." He pulled her closer. "I know it wasn't your fault."

Sindy smiled slightly as the couple followed Joe to the car. She was always amazed by his ability to calm people down. She grabbed her clipboard and several copies of accident reports, this kind of work was easier to handle.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

The two cars continued to speed along the narrow roadways. Mike Serpe wasn't driving blind, he had grown up in the area and he was hoping to shake the cop on one of the numerous turns and twists that these foothill roads took. However, this wasn't working according to his plan.

The vegetation was lighter here. The fire last summer had burned most of the surrounding foothills and the only thing growing appeared to be weeds. The pavement, or in some cases, just a seal coated gravel showed the path of the muddy run-off. The steep walls of the hillside gave little room towards the inside of the road. On the outside were steep hills and ravines.

"This isn't working Mike." Rod whined as he held onto the dash for support. Thankfully the baby in the back was still sleeping soundly. "Maybe we should just pull over."

"Hell no! We'll out run him."

"That's what you said when we left the interstate. I don't think we can."

The car slid as it rounded a sharp curve, the guard rail bit into the back end slightly and pushed the car sideways. Mike tried to keep control, but he over corrected and the back end spun around. The front of the car nosed into another part of the wire ropes that made up the railing. It was reflexes that caused him to hit the brakes hard and the car jerked to a halt. The engine died and Mike tried to restart it without luck. Opening his door, Rob stepped out and grabbed the bag containing the money.

Barry didn't have much time to react to the sight of the car now stopped in front of him. He slowed quickly and squeezed past the car. He slammed the car into park and jumped out.

He watched as the passenger began running back the way he had come. The driver climbed out and fired at the police car.

Ducking behind the car, Barry reached for his own weapon and then thought better of it. With a child in the backseat, the last thing he wanted to do was to chance a shot ricocheting and hitting the baby. Hopefully the suspect would see the idea of a shoot-out was a no win situation. "Throw down your gun."

"Ain't happening." The man shouted back. "There's a baby in this car, you know that don't you pig."

"I know." Barry responded.

"So, I'm thinking you don't want nothing to happen to this kid. I want you to start walking away from here. I'll leave and you can come back for the brat. He'll be fine. He's even still asleep; must like my driving."

"Look, I don't know where you think you're going to go. There are no houses around here and we haven't seen any traffic in a while." Barry tried to reason with the criminal.

"Don't you worry about me pig. Now start walking."

"I can't do that and you know it."

"Shame to wake this little one up." Mike opened the back car door.

A noise diverted their attention from one another. A small section of the slope to the inside of the curve broke loose from the hillside and slide down onto the road and came to rest between the car and the police cruiser.

"Been a lot of rain, not much vegetation on this hillside." Mike looked up at the hill where the debris had originated. As he spoke, more slid down covering more of the road way. "Could be the start of something big and I'm betting you don't want this innocent little baby in harm's way." With that, Mike broke out running, heading in the same direction that Rod had gone.

Barry moved quickly from behind his car and started towards the Hornet. He had to cross the liquefied mud to reach the car. He was almost there when he started to slip. He flailed, attempting to catch his balance. His right foot came down on a small rock and he rolled his ankle, his other leg sliding away and causing his full weight to come to bear on the ankle.

The pain was immediate and he fell to his side, mud saturating his uniform. He lay there for a moment, expecting to catch his breath. It was not to be however. High above roadway, a larger part of the hill side broke loose. Barry lurched to his feet and hobbled his way to the Hornet. The door that was open was on the opposite side of the car and as he reached it, he realized there was no time to grab the child and move to safety. Diving into the backseat, Barry shielded the child with his body. The river of mud slammed into the car and pushed it towards the cables that comprised the guard rail. The door shut as it hit the cable and for a brief instant Barry thought that the car would go no further. But then world tilted and the car went over the edge.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks everyone for the reviews. I really enjoy reading your feedback. Keep it coming. Spent the last 5 days in Las Vegas, 102 degree weather was a nice change from the 92 degree and 65% humidity of Iowa.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

"Did I say this was easier?" Sindy thought to herself. "I must be crazy." She had finished her third report and had walked over to her cruiser to put the finished copies in a safe spot. There were at least four more to take and she didn't want to risk losing what she had already done.

Climbing into the car, she pulled the door shut and started arranging the papers on her clipboard. The police radio provided a counterpoint to the rhythm of the rain drumming on the roof.

"7-Mary 3 and 4 are 10-98." Jon Baker's voice came over the speaker.

"Lucky ducks," she thought. Both Jon and Ponch had started out their day with a court case in which they were witnesses. They may have stayed dry so far, but the last three hours of their shift would be spent driving in the rain.

"7-Adam, what is your status?"

Sindy listened for the reply. Glancing at her watch she realized that it had been quite a while since Barry had taken off in pursuit of the car and child. She had assumed that something had happened while she was out gathering information. Either he had caught up to the fleeing thieves or had broken off pursuit.

"All units, 7-Adam has been out of contact. Last 10-20 was in pursuit of a stolen AMC Hornet, east-bound on 118."

"Dispatch, this is 7-Mary-5. I'm west-bound on 118 at mile marker 48. No sighting of 7-Adam." Grossie's voice was loud against the sound of his motorcycle.

Grossie's location was 12 miles down the freeway. Barry had either pulled over or off. Either way he should have responded.

"7-Mary-5, continue on 118 and see if you can make a visual on 7-Adam." The dispatcher's voice replied.

"10-4"

A small seed of worry planted itself in Sindy's mind. It wasn't like Barry to not respond to his radio or alert dispatch of his location. Telling herself that Barry was fine and perfectly capable of taking care of himself, Sindy grabbed more accident forms and stepped back out into the rain.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Barry could hear the sirens, they were getting closer. It was so dark it was impossible to see. The siren was so loud; the wailing made his head throb. A light began to pierce the darkness; it must be the headlights of the approaching police car.

Now the wailing was so close. "Why don't they cut the siren?" He thought to himself. It was at this moment that Barry realized that he felt pain; his head, his ankle, his body in general sent messages to his pain receptors. He struggled to open his eyes and as he did he realized that it was not an approaching siren, but the cries of the infant strapped into the car seat.

His lanky frame was lying on the floorboard of the car, his upper body pressed tightly into the door of the station wagon. He could feel the door handle digging into his back. Moving slowly, Barry attempted to find a more comfortable position. He closed his eyes again and tried to remember what had happened. He had gotten into the car and the force of the mudslide had pushed the car into the guardrail. When the car went over the incline he had braced the car seat and himself. "The car started to barrel roll." Barry spoke silently to himself and opened his eyes. Looking at the interior of the car, they had rolled, maybe more than once, but they were now upright. The windows were caked with mud, making it difficult to tell how much of the liquid soil was covering the car. Fortunately, all of the windows were intact.

The infant was still screaming; his face red with the effort. "Is he crying because he's hurt or scared?" Barry wondered. He reached over and touched the infant. Seeing the mud on his hands, he wiped it on the baby blanket that was wedge under the car seat. The mud was still wet, so he knew that not much time had elapsed.

Touching the baby lightly, he began speaking in a soft, crooning tone, "Hey there fellow." He assumed looking at the baby blue sleeper the child was in. "It's alright little guy. Everything is going to be just fine."

He had always had a knack with children. Perhaps it was his kind eyes or his gentle voice or maybe even the fact that he had two older sisters that had provided him with little nieces and nephews to babysit. Whatever the reason, this child was not immune to his charm. Within several minutes the angry screams had been replaced by a much softer cry. Barry had spent the time feeling the arms, legs and abdomen of the little boy. Everything felt and appeared like it should. The likelihood of the child having an apparent injury was limited.

"Good thing your mommy put you in such a good car seat." Barry spoke to the child. "I'm trying to remember what your mommy said your name was. Yes, you are a good boy." There was a pacifier attached to the baby's sleeper. "Is this what you want?" Barry put it to the lips of the infant and it sucked it into his mouth quickly. The rapid sucking sound filled the small car. "Yes, you like that don't you."

Now that the baby was quiet and content for the time being, Barry looked around the vehicle to take stock of his situation. His own ankle was very sore, more than likely a bad sprain. It had already swollen up, but there wasn't anything he could do about it now. The other aches and pains appeared to be minor.

There were several bags in the car. He reached for the one he had been sitting on and discovered it was a diaper bag. He opened it and saw there were several bottles with dry formula powder in them. Disposable diapers and wipes were also stuffed into the bag along with several outfits and a blanket. "Jeffery, that's right." Barry spoke to the child as he noticed the embroidery on the blanket. "Good thing I looked."

Moving up and onto the seat, Barry peered into the back. Several paper bags of groceries had broken open and the contents were scattered over the rear hatch area. "We obviously didn't roll much or this would have been flying all around the car." He was pleased to see a gallon container of distilled water among the items. "Looks like eating won't be an issue buddy. Unless you wanted a peanut butter sandwich, because that bread is beyond help." He joked, looking at the flattened loaf of bread.

He still couldn't determine how much mud was surrounding the vehicle. His fear was that they were completely buried. Moving back towards the front of the Hornet wagon, he slid his protesting body over the seats and into the front; the vinyl made it easier to move. The bench-style seat was pulled very close to the front and he had difficulty adjusting his frame into the passenger compartment. Barry grasped the door handle and attempted to push open the door. It resisted and when he applied more effort, it wouldn't budge. Neither would the driver's side.

"Ok," speaking aloud only to keep the contact with the infant, Barry reached for the crank for the window. "Let's see how deep the mud is." Cautiously he rolled down the window. After about six inches, mud started to slide in. Quickly he rolled it up until only three inches were open. The passenger window came down at least ten inches before mud began to ooze in. "Don't have to worry about oxygen, but we are not going anywhere for a while buddy."

Barry climbed back into rear seat and looked at his companion. "Don't worry; my friends will be here before you know it. They will wonder where we are and come looking for us." His voice trailed off, he realized that he couldn't remember telling dispatch his most recent heading. "No worries, they'll find us." This was going to complicate things, but he knew that they would keep looking until they found him.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Sergeant Getraer tried to smile reassuringly at the couple in front of him. They had now been in his office for the last thirty minutes and there had been no word on Baricza or their child. He had decided that the busier the couple was, the more unlikely they were to notice the passage of time. "Just several more forms Mr. and Mrs. Lewis. I need you to fill this out the best you can."

"Shouldn't we have heard something by now Sergeant?" Bruce Lewis frowned slightly. "It's been over an hour since my son was abducted."

"Once they have something solid they will contact me. I know that the waiting is hard, but I encourage you to relax the best you can. I'm sure we will find something out soon." Sergeant Getraer spoke calmly. "I'll go out and see if I can find out anything new." He stood and walked out of the room.

The Central Division's dispatch area was set towards the back of the building. This was done to limit distractions and keep unauthorized personnel from interfering with important job of assigning assistance and prioritizing emergencies. As Getraer opened the door he looked for the supervisor on duty. "Hello Rick."

"Joe, I'm guessing you're here to see about 7-Adam." Sergeant Rick Eldred's face spoke of the seriousness of the situation.

"Yes, any word from any of the other units?"

"Nothing. We've got every non-assigned unit patrolling for him." He motioned Joe over to a large bulletin board showing the surrounding area. "Last radio contact put him right about here." He pointed to a spot on the map. "Of course he could have exited on any number of off-ramps and taken any number of secondary roads. Hell, in this area," He pointed at another section, "he could have taken a road we don't even know about."

"How about the suspect's vehicle? Any reports of that being spotted?"

"None. Had a motor officer pull over a Hornet wagon, but it was being driven by an older couple."

"What are the chances of getting a helicopter up and looking for him?"

"With this rain, we could put one up. What they would see? Not much would be my guess. Plus it will be getting dark in three hours."

"Damn it Rick. We are going to have to do something. I've got a couple whose baby has been kidnapped and an officer who isn't responding to his radio."

"Joe, I'm not the bad guy here. Talk to the Lieutenant, he can authorize additional manpower. But for right now my hands are tied."

"I didn't mean to snap at you Rick." Getraer apologized.

"I understand. We'll find Bear."

"Keep me updated alright?"

"Sure thing Joe." Rick headed back towards the row of dispatchers.

Walking back into the hallway, Joe squared his shoulders and started off in the direction of the Lieutenant's office.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Sindy and Jeb had seen the last of the wreckers off. The traffic was moving smoothly. The only fly in the ointment was the rain. Sure it had slacked off into a drizzle, but still it had continued to dampen not only the body, but also the spirits of the officers.

"I really had these rain suits," Jeb shook his off as he stuffed it into his back seat. "Like a damn sauna, standing around and sweating."

"Think of all the impurities you've sweated out." Sindy joked. "Some poor shmucks have to pay to use those at a gym, you get it free."

"I'd rather," Jeb stopped talking as the tones on his car's radio beeped out an alert.

"All Units," the disembodied voice spoke. "be advised that 7-Adam is not transmitting. All available units are to report to the bottom of the off-ramp at Highway 118, mile marker 48. Meet the Sergeant for your search grid coordinates."

Jeb looked at Sindy. "That doesn't sound good." He noticed that Sindy's face had gone pale. "You alright?"

"I'm," Sindy paused to collect her emotions. "I'm just worried about Bear. I'm fine. We better get going." She climbed into her car and whispered to herself. "Sindy, you're a liar."


	4. Chapter 4

Here is chapter 4. I hope everyone reading is enjoying it!

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Sindy climbed out of her cruiser and joined the others around Sergeant Getraer's car. Ponch, Jon, Grossie, Jeb and six other officers were there looking over the map that was spread out of the hood of Getraer's car.

A grim faced Getraer looked at the ring of faces around him. "The Lieutenant has authorized overtime for all officers joining in the search. At this point we are assuming that the suspects and Barry are not together. A possible scenario is that Barry wrecked his car while in pursuit and another is that he was somehow overpowered while out of his car. We will be looking for anything suspicious along the possible routes. We've laid out search grids starting from this point and working back towards the accident scene. Each of you will take a section and report immediately if you find anything of interest." Joe could see the concern written on all of the officer's faces. "Are there any questions?"

Ponch raised his hand, "Have the baby's parents been contacted by the kidnappers?"

"It appears that this was an "accidental" abduction. They needed a car and this was the first one they found. We don't believe they knew there was a child in the car at the time of the theft."

"What is the square mileage of the search area?" Grossie asked.

"We've started off with the twelve miles of freeway and going out from there another 10. That will cover roughly 120 square miles. We've prioritized it according to where we think public visibility would be limited."

"Any public notification yet?" Another officer inquired.

"The department is getting ready to issue alerts on both the child and on Barry. We are hoping that the early news reports will result in some eyewitnesses."

"Have they contacted Barry's folks yet?" Jon's face mirrored his concern.

"We haven't been able to reach them." Sergeant Getraer frowned at this. "My concern is that they'll find out about Barry watching the news."

"They are in Iowa visiting Barry's sister." Sindy piped up.

"Bear's got a sister in Iowa?" Ponch processed the information, allowing his mouth to run ahead of his brain. "He's never said anything about that to me. How did you know?"

Sindy hurried with her reply. "He mentioned it at lunch the other day. He said he was going out to their place to take care of their dog."

"I'll have the Lieutenant see if he has her listed in Barry's next of kin information, we might be able to get a hold of them there."

Keeping quiet, Sindy nodded. "I can also get into his apartment and get the number from his phone list." She thought to herself. "I don't need Ponch suspecting anything about Barry and me."

Turning to the map, she spoke up and tried to bring the conversation back around to the search. "So when do we get going?"

"Right now." Getraer replied. He began giving map coordinates to each officer.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Mike had caught up with Rod almost a mile down the road from where the mudslide had engulfed the two cars. He knew this to be true because he had turned and watched after he had reached safety. First the Hornet had slid into the ravine and then the police cruiser had been covered with the fast moving mud.

"Hey, were you just going to run out on me you bastard?" He grabbed on to the other man's shoulder and spun him around. "I told you I had everything under control."

Panting heavily from the exertion, Rod sagged until the grip. "It didn't look that way to me. What happened to the cop?"

"Our problems are long gone. The car got pushed over the edge of that ravine by the mudslide. As much mud was moving towards that car, I don't think we'll have to worry about seeing that pig again."

"What about the baby?" Rod was not without a shred of compassion.

"Superpig was hurrying to the car to get the brat. They're both bye-bye." Mike pretended to wave good-bye.

"I don't like the idea of being the cause of a baby dying."

"It's not our fault; it's that pig's fault. He was the one chasing us. When I got out I told him to take off and the kid wouldn't get hurt. He didn't listen." Mike reached for the gym bag containing the money from the bank job they had pulled that afternoon. "You weren't thinking that this was all for you?" He spoke menacingly.

"I thought you would catch up to me as soon as you were able to. You're in better shape than I am." He handed over the bag, not wanting to make the younger man angrier than he already was. "So, what are we going to do now Mike?"

"About two miles up the road, there's a turn off that runs back north. We head down that way and I got a friend that will give us a ride back to town." Mike started off at a quick pace.

"You think we're totally in the clear then?" Rod hurried to keep up with him.

"Yeah, we used only stolen cars, we had gloves on the whole time so no finger prints, we had masks on at the bank, so no photos of us on the eleven o'clock news. I think we're golden."

Rod's mood brightened at the other man's optimism. "Great. I sure don't want to have another day like today."

"No shit," Mike pushed the wet hair off his forehead. "Let's hurry up. I wanna get out of this damn rain."

The two men continued their quick march towards the turn off that would take them closer to their escape.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

"Damn it! This isn't getting us anywhere." Sindy swore to herself. With no witnesses yet to place the police car, it could literally be anywhere. She had been following the roads in her section for over an hour now and there had been no sign of either the police car or Barry.

Another officer called in that he had cleared his search grid and requested his next coordinates. So many little squares on the map and each one had a million places to hide a car and a police officer.

She pulled up to the stop sign, looked both ways and continued along the street. She was so worried about Barry that it was making it hard for her to concentrate on searching. This then made her feel guilty, what if she missed something because she wasn't on the top of her game. Maybe she should come clean to the Sergeant about dating Barry. He would take her off the search and that would drive her crazy; sitting around and waiting for information to come in. No, she would just shake it off and treat this like any other case.

It didn't work. Regardless of what she told herself, she could only think about the image of Barry laying somewhere injuried or worse. The tears started falling a few minutes later. Pulling over, she allowed herself a moment to regain her composure. Picking up the radio, she contacted the Sergeant and informed him that she needed to come back in.

Turning the car around, she started headquarters; rehearsing what she would say in her head.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Their truck was filled with a variety of highway signs and they drove slowly along the narrow road.

"I told you we were going to get some slides along here." Mark Andersen, a Department of Transportation worker spoke to the man driving the truck.

"Hell, anyone could have made that prediction. I'm surprised you're not the National Enquirer's psychic." Ron Ferguson shook his head at the younger man's chatter. "It's lucky that someone from the other end of the road called the blockage in. If they hadn't, someone would have drove three miles down the road and would have to turn around to come back." He pulled the truck up and put on the emergency blinkers. "Come on, those road closed signs aren't going to set themselves up."

"No need to be so cranky about it. Geesh." Mark climbed out of the truck and helped Ron place a flashing road closed sign across the roadway.

The men got back into their truck and had headed back down the way they came. Had either one bothered to look in the rearview mirror; they would have seen two men coming from the direction of the blocked road.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

"Looks like they know this road is closed."

Mike watched the taillights disappear in the dim afternoon light. "Lucky for us they didn't see us and ask where we were coming from. Lucky for us too, they won't find anything else for a while either."

"How much further?"

"Shut up, you sound like a damn kid." Mike readjusted his grip on the bag and continued walking.

"Sorry but I think I'm getting a blister."

Mike shot a deepening frown at his partner.

Rod got the hint and the two continued on in silence.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

The television cameras were packing up, the reporters and their camera men hurrying to get back to their stations to be the first to air the heartfelt plea by the parents of the abducted child. It had been classic, the mother crying lightly; begging for her child's return. The father stoically glaring at the camera, as if he were looking into the eyes of the kidnappers; demanding they bring his child home. The police sergeant reminding people that it just wasn't a child missing, there was an officer unaccounted for as well. Of course this didn't pull on the heart strings like the child did, but you couldn't report one without the other.

Sergeant Getraer was glad that the press conference was over. It had been fairly somber in tone. He hopped that Mr. and Mrs. Lewis felt they had some something useful in the effort to retrieve their child. Another couple who were close friends of the Lewis' had come to the Department to help comfort them. This took a load off of Joe. He wanted to return to the task of coordinating the search.

"Sergeant Getraer."

Joe turned and saw Officer Cahill approaching him. He was surprised to see her; she had been part of the group searching for Baricza. "Sindy, what can I do for you?"

"Can we speak in your office sir?" Her voice was a little shaky.

"Sure." Joe led the way to his office. "What can I do for you?" He motioned for her to sit.

Sindy sat down and looked at her Sergeant. "I don't think I can keep searching."

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Jeffery had started crying again and Barry knew that he was going to have to remove him from the car seat. He hadn't done that yet because he was still a little concerned about the possibility of a spinal injury. It was unlikely, but he wanted to play it safe. Looking at his watch, he saw that three hours had passed since he had awoken in the car with the baby. The interior of the car which had been very dim to begin with was now almost dark. He leaned into the front of the car and twisted the headlight switch. The dome light came on, bathing the interior in pale light.

"I'm betting you're hungry or wet. Heck, maybe both." Barry unhooked the buckle and lifted the little boy into his arms. He could feel that the diaper had expanded from its original size. "Wet it is."

He sat the car seat into the front of the vehicle so that he would have room to work. "All righty, let's skin the bunny." He slipped the sleeper off of the baby and removed the sodden diaper. Wrapping it back up into a tidy bundle, he looked around to find a place to stash it. "For now I guess it stays in here. I'm glad you haven't left me a gift yet." He wiped the baby down with a diaper wipe and then slipped a dry diaper under the hips of the child. "There you go. Does that feel better?"

The baby cooed back to him and Barry let the child grab onto his finger. "I'm guessing it's close to dinner time for you. What do you say to a bottle of nice reconstituted milk?"

Reaching to the back, Barry grabbed the water jug and proceeded to fill one of the bottles. "I went a little heavy on the water. I hope you don't mind, but I don't know how many meals you might miss before my friends come."

He shook the bottle vigorously. "Alright sport. Let's eat." He cradled the baby in his arms and offered the rubber nipple to him.

Immediately the baby latched on and began to eat. After a few ounces, Barry removed the bottle and put the baby onto his shoulder, a burp rag over his shoulder. "Like it really matters. This uniform is toast." He told the baby. "I don't think they'll be getting the mud stains out. It reminds me of one time when my buddy Ponch ended up ruining three uniforms in one day." Barry continued his story as he feed and burped the baby. It wasn't until the end of his second Ponch story that Jeffery fell asleep in the man's arms.

"It's been a long day for you hasn't it? You've been in a car chase and a mudslide. That would tire out most anyone." Barry glanced at his watch. It was almost seven o'clock now. Time had passed quickly in the little car. He carefully returned the child to the car seat and strapped him in to the seat, but did not reconnect the seat to the car. Leaving the child in the front seat, he shut off the dome light to conserve the battery and maneuvered around on the back seat, hoping to find a comfortable spot.

Sitting in the dark, cramped and hurting, made it easier for gloomy thoughts to creep in. For the time being, he and the child did not appear to be in any danger. The car had not shifted since it had come to rest in this spot. There was food, granted limited amounts for the child to eat and the loaf of bread would nourish him if needed.

"If I had only radioed in my location." He mentally kicked himself for the hundredth time. "It's going to make it harder to find us. But if I could roll down the windows a little that means the roof of the car is visible. They'll see that and come to investigate. It's just going to take a little longer than I would like."

He wadded up one of the extra blankets and propped it behind his head. With the darkness pressing around him, Barry gave up trying to see and closed his eyes. Soon, the soft breathing of the baby sleeping was joined by that of Barry's.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

"This is Christina McCallmut with your Action Six news. Our top story tonight; A freeway accident turns into a race against time to locate a missing child and the highway patrol officer who was attempting to rescue him. For this story we go to Bruce Campbell. Good evening Bruce." The beautiful blonde turned towards the handsome man next to her at the anchor desk.

"Good evening Christina. What started out as a trip to grandma's house has turned into a nightmare for one L.A. County couple. Returning from a visit to her mother, Sheila Lewis stopped to render aid at a multi-car pile-up on Highway 118. While out of her car, it was stolen by two men wanted in connection for a bank robbery earlier that afternoon. What the men didn't know, little Jeffery Lewis was sleeping in the back seat."

The footage of the news conference replaced the reporter. The reporter then gave more information as photographs of Jeffery and Barry were posted along with a number that tips could be reported to.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Mike and Rod had finally made it to the home of his friend. The single-wide trailer was sitting in the scrubby brush that comprised the vegetation in the area. Ringing the trailer was a wide array of cars and trucks in various stages of decomposition. The only thing missing Rod thought, was a barking dog tied up outside.

Making his way up to the door, Mike pounded his fist against the frame. "Eric, it's me Mike."

The door opened and the burly blonde man inside motioned the two to enter. "What's up Mike?"

The entire of the trailer was cluttered with auto parts. On the counter, a small black and white television was showing a rerun of some sitcom; the laugh track blaring.

"Ah, we got turned out and need a ride back to town. Are you able to help us out? I'll give you a twenty for gas money?"

"Hell ya. Wait in here and I'll go throw a battery into something and I'll give you that lift."

"Great. Oh, by the way, this is my friend Rod." Mike tossed his head to indicate the other man.

"Hey, any friend of Mike's is a friend of mine. I'll have to tell you about the time here that Mike got us kicked out of school for getting caught in the girl's locker room."

"Maybe later Eric." Mike's face showed a tight smile. "I've got some important business back in town, so the walk down memory lane will have to wait."

"Sure. Make yourselves to home. I'll be back in as soon as I can." Eric grabbed a car battery and lugged it to the door. He opened the door and was gone.

"I'm going to hit the bathroom." Mike walked down the hallway leading to the back part of the trailer.

"This is Christina McCallmut with your Action Six news. Our top story tonight; A freeway accident turns into a race against time to locate a missing child and the highway patrol officer who was attempting to rescue him." The television blared.

Rod turned his attention to the television. The news reporter was talking about a stolen car with a baby inside and how the parents and police were looking for answers. The taped footage of the press conference was almost too much for Rod. The mother's tears made him feel bad for her. Two photos, one of the baby and the other of the officer filled the screen.

"Hey, that's superpig." Mike's voice was close to his ear. "They got the story on t.v.? Here we are, famous bank robbers and we can't even let anyone know.

"You know, once we're back in town we could make an anonymous call and let the cops know where they are. " Rob suggested.

Mike grabbed the other man and pushed him against the wooden post that divided the front room from the kitchen. "Great idea, then the pig can identify us and we go to jail. You breathe a word of this to anyone and you'll be dead. Got me?"

A shaken Rob nodded, "I got you Mike."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's notes: I should probably warn you, I don't always post so fast. However, with our home computer having a virus and me not being able to be on the net reading other stories...I write faster. Reviews also brighten my day, but I'll never hold a story hostage for them. Enjoy. Also, as always...if I don't know I create!

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Barry could hear the baby crying. Looking at the luminous glow of his watch, he could see that it was 12:30 a.m.. "Someone hungry?" he asked sleepily. He mixed a bottle of milk and brought the infant into the back seat. Yawning, he looked down at the child's face. "I bet your Mommy and Daddy are missing you champ. I hope they aren't too worried, but I bet they are."

The gentle sucking noise was hypnotic and Barry could feel himself wanting to nod off again. "I hope you plan on sleeping the rest of the night. I don't know how Jeb manages to look so bright and cherry each morning when he has a little one of his own at home"; he referred to Jeb Turner's newborn daughter, Michelle.

Jeffery drank contentedly and supplied the required number of burps, plus several very loud farts. Barry could feel the child starting to strain. "I'll give you a few minutes and then I better change that diaper while I'm at it. I don't need you to wake up in an hour crying again." He continued to talk to the child and soon he was rewarded with the tell-tale smell he had been waiting for. He removed the sleeper and loosened the diaper. "I guess that you had more than one reason to wake me up. Whew! That is one seriously stinky diaper. I hope we have enough wipes for this job."

After wrapping up the diaper, Barry glanced at one of the rear windows. "I don't want to keep that toxic waste inside. That smells worse than Ponch after a night of beer and burritos." He rolled down the window just enough to push the diaper out through the crack. "That should help. Let's get you back to sleep."

Cradling the child to his chest, he rubbed the infant's back lightly. Jeffery babbled softly against him. "No, it's time to go to sleep buddy. I could sing to you, but that would be torture. I could put you out fast and tell you all about my love life but I don't think you're ready for that kind of night time story." He thought about his last conversation with Sindy. "That is, if I have a girlfriend when this is all said and done."

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Several hours earlier Sindy had wrestled with that same issue. It was so hard driving around searching for Barry, knowing that around every corner she could find him; or worse, not find him. "This is one of the reasons I should have said no to going out with him." She told herself. During the drive into headquarters she thought about her relationship with Barry.

Barry and Sindy had worked together for over a year before Barry worked up the nerve to ask her out. Then once he had, she turned him down. Her rational being that the department frowned on relationships between police officers.

After that Barry would occasionally ask her out, but he made it a point to include himself in every group activity that the co-workers participated in. He thought the more Sindy saw his personality outside of work; the more likely she would be to trust him and give him a chance.

The plan seemed to be working as Barry had hoped. He noticed that when the group hung out, Sindy would spend most of her time with him. But a serious accident in which there had been numerous fatalities changed everything. Several of the officers decided to go out for a drink and try to erase the memories of the day. Sindy had a little too much to drink and Barry volunteered to drive her home.

During the drive home, Sindy had started crying. Barry pulled over and comforted her as the emotions of the day caught up with her. It was as he sat holding her hand and rubbing her back lightly that Sindy reached over and kissed him. The alcohol and the emotions fueling her need for physical closeness; something to make the sadness of the day disapate.

Taken a little by surprise, Barry gently broke off the kiss. He told her how much he enjoyed that and how he wished it would happen again, but not like this. If anything happened tonight, Sindy would regret it and he would as well because that would mean there would never be a chance for them to be together. He had asked her if she understood what he meant and through tears she nodded.

When they arrived at Sindy's apartment, Barry had helped her up the stairs. Standing at her doorway, they embraced, neither one wanting to relinquish the hold on the other. Sindy had invited him in, complete with a promise that she would behave herself, but Barry had declined.

The next day at the end of their shift, Sindy had stopped Barry in the hallway. It was then that she invited him over that evening for supper. That night she told him that she would like to date him, but only on the condition that they keep it a secret at work. She didn't want anyone making any assumptions about her ability to do the job or her professionalism. She didn't want to be accused of using him to her advantage.

Barry had agreed, hoping that as soon as she was comfortable with them being a couple she would be willing to drop the secrecy. However, in her effort to keep others from suspecting anything was happening, she had made more efforts to not be too close to Barry when the group got together.

"He's right." Sindy told herself. "It's not fair to him to continue hiding our relationship. I've proven I can do my job and do it well, no one should be able to question that." It was with determination that she set out to located Sergeant Getraer.

Getraer was finishing a press conference with a variety of the local news stations in attendance. Once he had finished she approached him. They walked to his office and once there the Sergeant offered her a seat.

"What can I do for you?" Joe was a little perplexed why she was there.

Sindy sat down and looked at her Sergeant. "I don't think I can keep searching."

"Sindy, I know this is hard on all of you. Barry is a good friend and the not knowing is difficult."

"I agree, but there is a little more that you don't know sir."

"Would it be that you and Barry are dating?" Had the circumstances been different Joe might have burst into laughter to see the look on Sindy Cahill's face. The look was that of astonishment and that was priceless.

She searched for the words to continue. This was not how she had planned this to happen. "Um, yes." She struggled to form her next thought. "How did you know?"

"I'd like to tell you that I have the amazing ability to detect relationships, but that wouldn't be the truth. Barry came and spoke with me about it." Joe could see the flames of anger building in Sindy's eyes and he held up his hands to hold off the officer's reply. "Before you get mad at me or Barry, I want you to know that he came in at least seven months ago to see what the policy was regarding dating between officers. I told him that there was nothing preventing two officers of equal rank from dating. He then wanted to know what I thought. I told him as long as it didn't interfere with day to day operations it would be no problem. He confided in me that he was going to ask you out. So, I have to admit that I've been keeping my eye on the two of you and as far as I can tell there hasn't been anything that I would find objectionable. In fact, I would say that for the last couple of months, both of you have been my top officers."

Listening to Sergeant Getraer, the suddenly flare up of anger was extinguished. "I didn't want to tell anyone because I was afraid they would treat me differently."

"Sindy, I know it's hard for a woman to feel like she is making it on her own merits and not on anything or anyone else. But you have proven yourself and the people you work with are your friends. Don't you owe it yourself and Barry to let your friends enjoy your happiness?"

She nodded, "He's been telling me that it would work out, but I've been too afraid. Now, I'm thinking that I've made such a mistake."

"I don't want you to worry Sindy, we'll find Barry."

"Thanks Sarge." She stood to exit. "Is there something I could do to help?

"The Lieutenant is calling off the search for the night. We don't want to miss something in the darkness. We resume at seven tomorrow morning. I'd tell you to go home and get a good night's sleep, but I'm betting that will be hard to do. Tomorrow I'll have you helping with the search grid communication." He watched her walk towards the door. "Sindy, you need friends right now; don't let your fears get in your way."

"Thanks again." She closed the door behind her.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Eric had dropped off Mike and Rod and had left after securing a promise from Mike that they needed to go out sometime for a beer or two. They watched the man pull out of the drive and then turned to the business at hand.

"Let's go ahead and split it up now." Rod suggested.

"I'm not sure that is a good idea." Mike sat the bag on the kitchen table. "You might decide to get righteous and contact the cops about those two."

"What? Incriminate myself? I call on those two and I'm putting my own head in the noose. The cop identifies you and you give me up." Rod spoke convincingly.

"That's right." Mike seemed to contemplate it for a moment. "O.k., I'll give you your cut and I'll be in touch next week about another hit."

"Don't you think we should lay low for a while?"

Mike shook his head, "Hell no. As long as we keep the scores low, ain't no body going to worry about us. We hit another bank just like we planned."

"All right, but once we finish with the last one we've planned, I'm through." Rob grabbed the stack of cash that Mike had pushed towards him.

"Fine by me."

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

The sun was breaking out of the clouds as the men and women of the Central Division met for a special briefing. The weather report was for showers redeveloping by mid-morning, but until then there was the promise of some sunshine.

A tired looking Joe Getraer moved to the podium and looked at the anxious faces before him.

"We have had several calls to the tip line and have been able to pin-point where he left the 118. This is going to help us narrow down the search zone. Officer Cahill and I are going to be here at headquarters working on clearing off the grids as you check them. If we receive any additional information from the tip line we will relay it as soon as possible. If there are no questions, you can get your assignments from Sindy."

No one had any questions and a quiet line filed past Sindy.

"You know if Bear were able to contact us he would." Ponch, who was bringing up the end of the line, spoke to those around him. "So he must be unable to talk."

"Someone would see the car if it were parked someplace." Grossie added.

"Times like this, it is a real advantage to be single." Ponch replied. "No wife at home to sit around and worry about him. He's not even dating anyone."

Sindy bit her lip and blinked back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

"I think he is." Jon said softly. "He hasn't been hanging out as much and when I asked him what he was up to, he would just smile."

"You're right about that. I think he's been walking around with a smile on for a couple of months." Grossie agreed.

"I wonder why he wouldn't say anything to us." Ponch added.

"Sometimes when you have something special you don't want to risk it." Jon took his search information from Sindy. "Sindy, had he said anything to you about whom he's dating"

The few officers still in the room looked to Sindy. "Yes." She took a deep breath, "We've been dating since February."


	6. Chapter 6

Author's notes: Sorry for the delay. The Iowa State Fair is going on and my girls and I spent two days hanging out and enjoying the sights. I will do my best to update soon. I start back to work on Wednesday. Sad teacher...summer over! Hope you are all still enjoying the story. Reviews do the soul good.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Everyone was quiet as they took in Sindy's revelation. It was Ponch that broke the silence, "I guess I know why you've been resisting my attempts at dating. I should have known, because there isn't a single woman that can resist the Poncerello charm."

"Except those with an IQ above that of a six year old." Jon slapped his hand on his partner's back. "Why didn't you say something to us Sindy? We would have understood."

"It seemed like the best decision at the time."

"Well, don't worry about it. We're here for you." Jon said kindly. The others nodded in agreement.

"Thanks guys." Sindy could feel tears pricking at her eyes.

Jon picked up on his co-worker's emotions. "We better get going."

Grossie squeezed Sindy's hand reassuringly. "We'll find Barry. Don't worry Sindy."

She nodded, too choked up to reply.

The officers moved out of the briefing room. Sindy quickly wiped her eyes and picked up the pile of papers left behind. She heard movement and turned to see Sergeant Getraer at the podium.

"Sindy," he said softly. "Are you sure you are up to this? You can use a sick day if you like."

"No. I couldn't stand the idea of not being here."

"Alright, but you'll let me know if you need to pull yourself off this. Right?" Joe's eyes mirrored the concern in her own.

"Absolutely."

"Good. Let's go to the conference room and get our things laid out. They have a lot of ground to cover today."

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

"Oh my God my head is killing me." He sat up and shook his head tenderly as if that would help clear the cobwebs. Instead, a new bolt of lightning flashed through his brain to stab behind his eyes. "What was I thinking?"

Rod swung his feet over the edge of the bed and waited for the room to stop spinning. "I'm never going to drink again."

After leaving Mike's house with his cut from the bank hold-up, Rod had driven to a nearby bar and proceeded to get drunk.

"That's what I say, but I always find another excuse to drink." A female voice piped up.

The memories of last night suddenly caught up with him. He had gotten drunk, found a woman that didn't find him objectionable and when the bar closed, they had taken a cab to his apartment. "Hey." Rod kicked himself mentally for such a lame reply, no wonder he was still single. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a rat is trying to chew its way out of my head." The brassy blonde sat up in bed and wrapped the sheet around her breasts.

"I'll go get us some aspirin and water." Rod got up, pulled on the discarded boxer shorts lying on the floor and went out to the kitchen. He was ready to show the blonde, Becky, yes that was her name, that he was a class act.

He took the aspirin bottle out of the cabinet and ran some water into the glass near the sink. Rob shook out three pills into his hand and swallowed. Chasing it with water, he sat the glass back down. Grabbing a clean glass, he filled it with cold water and carried it back to the bedroom along with the aspirin bottle.

"The California Highway Patrol would appreciate your assistance in their ongoing search for little Jeffery Lewis and Officer Barry Baricza. If you have any information, please contact a CHP location near you."

"Oh, that is so sad." The blonde sniffled into a tissue from near his bed. "I hope you don't mind that I turned on the television. I wanted to see the weather report and this story came on. That poor little boy, I can't imagine what his mamma is going through right now."

"I'm sure he'll turn up." Rod wanted to forget that he had ever set eyes on that boy.

"But he's been gone a day already. They say that if a kid isn't found in the first 24 hours that they probably won't find them alive." Tears ran down her checks along with last night's mascara. It looked like a miniature mudslide. "I'm sorry; I just get so emotional with sad stories like this."

"No, no, it's alright." He sat down and handed her the glass and shook out aspirin for her. "I can understand how you feel."

"I just can't help but believe that someone knows where those two are. Even if it was one of the bank robbers, he could always make an anonymous." Becky drank some of the water and popped the white tablets into her mouth, finishing off the water. "Thanks so much." She looked at Rob and smiled. "Last night was a lot of fun, maybe we could do this again sometime."

"I'm free tonight." Rob went out on a limb, hoping that he wasn't going to ruin his chances with her.

"Hey, I am too." She laughed lightly. "I guess it's a date."

"Yeah, I guess it is." He smiled at her brightly; the headache seemed to disappear as did any thoughts about a little baby and a police officer. "Want to share a cab back to our cars? Maybe we can stop off for a bit of breakfast?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea Rob."

Rob smiled, things were definately looking up for him.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

His watch said it was almost noon and so did his stomach. Earlier in the morning, after feeding and changing, Barry had eaten several slices of the bread. Looking through the two sacks of groceries that had tumbled across the rear end, he had realized that the only thing that he could eat was the bread. "My kingdom for a can opener," he joked to the wide-eyed infant. "I don't even have a pocket knife, so unless you're packing Jeffery, I don't think this food is going to do us any good."

Barry had also taken stock of what remained for water and powdered formula. Even with skimping on the formula, they would run out that evening. "So what should we talk about today Buddy?" Each time the child had been awake, Barry would regal him with stories of his friends with the patrol.

Currently he was sitting sideways in the backseat; long legs stretched across the back seat. It wasn't comfortable, but it did feel better than his knees being pushed up against the front seat. Jeffery was sitting on Barry's lap, facing the man. This allowed Barry to interact with the infant while he was awake. "I wish your Mom would have packed a few books or toys, I'm guessing you are getting tired of just listening to me talk." Barry's finger was clutched in the child's grasp. "Wow! What a grasp you've got there. Maybe you'll grow up to be a cop? Would you like that? You could help people out of all kind of jams. Let me tell you that sometimes this job lets you meet some of the most interesting people. Did I tell you how one time an elephant," Barry put his other arm to his nose and softly trumpeted like a pachyderm. "Sat on my car? Squashed the front end and I had to explain that to my boss. You should have seen the smoke come out of his ears."

The next two hours Barry talked, made faces and even broke down and sang. Soon, the child's eyes began to blink more frequently and Barry moved him onto his shoulder and rubbed his back lightly. Once the breathing had evened out, he moved Jeffery back into his car seat. Now sitting in the back seat by himself he took time to review his plan. Last night while Jeffery had slept Barry had mapped out his alternatives. If rescuers had not found them by morning, he was going to unroll the window and try to tunnel his way out of the car. The fact that the windows were down several inches meant that the mud wasn't covering the car. By waiting for a day before trying this he had hoped that the mud would firm up enough to move it. Before it had been liquefied and it would have slid into the car as he tried to move.

Looking at the sleeping infant, Barry thought about his own future. "Nothing like an accident to bring out the thoughts of your own mortality," he thought morosely. "Don't need to worry about kids until I get a girlfriend that isn't afraid to be with me in public. Hell, I don't even know if Sindy wants kids. I can barely get her to talk about where she wants this relationship to go." He reached over the backseat and grabbed the bread sack. "I could really go for some peach pie right now."

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Sindy continued to shade out the areas that had been cleared by the patrols. It was almost 3 pm and the family of the little boy had come to the station. Neither parent looked like they had any sleep; the mother's eyes were puffy from hours of crying. Joe had taken them into his office and updated them on the search. The tv stations had been given updated search information as well, and there was the hope that an informed public would see something that might otherwise be missed.

The thought of the mother's anguish stuck with Sindy as she waited for the officers to radio in with their reports. "It's hard enough to worry about Barry being out there. I can't imagine if I was missing my child how I would handle it."

Just then Grossie's voice broke the silence and she scrambled to answer him; the worry about Barry pushed again beneath the surface.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Rod was whistling a happy tune. His headache was gone, he had just over three thousand dollars stuffed into his closet and he had a date with Becky tonight. He was going to go out and buy some new clothes. Becky was a better woman that he had been with before, so he was going to try and improve his image. New clothes, a haircut and maybe some of that Brut aftershave. It was going to be a great day; what could possibly go wrong?

He found out that afternoon. He was leaving his apartment when Mike pulled up to the curb. Rolling down his window, Mike motioned the other man over. "I got to thinking; let's strike while the iron is hot. I don't want to wait until next week, so we're going to go Friday afternoon. "

"Alright, but remember. I'm done after this job."

"I remember. I'll pick you up on Friday." Mike pulled out, narrowly missing Rod's toes.

Rob watched the vehicle disappear down the street. He walked over to his own car and got in. He wasn't going to let Mike ruin his day. He would go do his errands and tonight, watch out.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Frank Barnes slowly backed the Caterpillar bulldozer off of the trailer. He had been working since 7 a.m. and as the afternoon drug on he could only think about quitting time and a cold beer. This was his third clearing job today. The first two were small slides that had left partial road closures. This one was much larger. It had covered both lanes of traffic for at least 30 feet.

Once the dozer was off trailer he slowly made his way towards the mound of dirt covering the pavement. Lowering the blade, he began to push the mud towards the side of the road.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

He had dozed off. The warm confines of the car and the quiet had worked together and at some point the officer had blinked and not reopened his eyes. But now, the noise coming distantly was enough to break through the bonds of sleep.

It was construction equipment, it had to be. The loud throaty rumble of big heavy machinery was unmistakable. That meant one thing, rescue was near. The heaviness that had been creeping its way into Barry's mood lifted suddenly. "Thank God, they've found us." He spoke aloud.

Several minutes later, the feeling of elation turned to horror when he felt something hit the back of the car. The rear window that had been cracked open slightly to allow for airflow, now rained in dirt. They weren't being dug out, they were being buried even deeper!


	7. Chapter 7

Author's notes: Sorry, the first week back to school is always so rough. Plus brand new school that wasn't quiet ready. Fubar to the max. Thanks for being understanding.

CHiPsCHiPsCHiPsCHiPsCHiPs

The thought of that cold beer was enough to make Frank Barnes crazy. He glanced at his watch and did some quick calculations. If he knocked off now, he could drive very slowly back to the shop. Once there, he could go to the maintenance area and pick up the things he would need in the morning for the routine maintenance of the Cat.

Smiling broadly, he left the large pile of drying mud he had been working to clear, and moved his machine over to the far edge of the slide. This road wasn't that highly traveled he told himself. "It won't matter if it's closed another day. Ain't gonna kill anybody to drive a little farther."

He parked the big yellow earth mover and unhitched the trailer from the truck that had pulled it to the site. With nary a backwards glance he drove off, his thoughts only of the cold beer and salty peanuts waiting at his favorite bar.

CHiPsCHiPsCHiPsCHiPsCHiPs

It had taken everything that Barry had not to give into the panic gnawing away at him. The feel of dirt hitting the back end of the car was unnerving and he had quickly rolled up the windows. The muffled sound of the machinery kept him from screaming out; he knew that he would not be heard over the engine.

At least three times dirt had dropped down on the car, and he sat waiting for the next load. He couldn't say when he realized that he no longer heard the noise from outside the vehicle. Leaning over the front seat, he carefully rolled the window down. Some dirt came in, but there were still one or two inches of clear window. Putting his face as close as he could, he began yelling.

Jeffery woke up almost immediately and his cries added to the officer's shouts. He wasn't sure how long he yelled, but looking at the red face of the infant and hearing the hick-upping cries, he realized that his own voice had gone hoarse. He reached over and unbuckled the child. Barry put the baby on his shoulder and worked to calm him.

As the baby's cries tapered off, Barry listened intently; hoping to hear evidence that their presence had been discovered. There was soon only the sound of the baby still making an occasional whimper. "Sorry Jeffery. I thought someone might be coming to get us out of here. I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little tired of this car."

He put the little guy in the crook of his arm and took a bottle out of the bag. "Last of the milk buddy, bottoms up." He watched the boy pull hungrily at the nipple. "On the positive side, we know someone is aware that this road is blocked. I'm going to make like a mole later and try to get us out of here."

Way too soon, the child had sucked the bottle dry. "I know you want more, but unless you're up for water, we are out of luck." He repositioned Jeffery. "Let me tell you about the time that Grossie went on a diet."

CHiPsCHiPsCHiPsCHiPsCHiPs

Had the motor officer realized how close he was to his friend, Grossman might have been able to put an end to everyone's worry. However, as he pulled up to the blocked off road, he met a large DOT truck. Waving it over, Grossie approached the driver side window. "Hello. Road closed all the way?"

"No, we just put up these signs to mess with people." Frank Barnes sniped.

"Ok, dumb question." Grossman wasn't in the mood to play games. "We're looking for a missing squad car and possibly a AMC Hornet wagon. Have you seen anything?"

"Nope, just a hell of a mess and tons of dirt blocking the road. I got some of it cleared, but I won't have it done until sometime tomorrow afternoon at the earliest."

"Well, if you see anything, report it right away." Grossie waved the man on and returned to his motorcycle. For a moment he contemplated driving down and looking around for himself, but then his desire to help find Barry overruled him. The DOT guy hadn't seen anything, so it was unlikely he would see anything different. He picked up his mic and called in his position as clear.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Jeffery was sleeping again. Barry had put him into his car seat and then pulled out the small notebook that he kept in his pocket. He had lost the pen that normally was in his breast pocket, but he was able to find one in the glove compartment.

Barry thought for a few minutes and began to write. The first was a note to his parents.

"Dear Mom and Dad, I hope that you get this note. I want you to know how lucky I consider myself to have two such loving people as my parents. You both have taught me so many lessons and you helped to make me who I am today. Don't be sad. Remember how much I loved you and that I was doing what I was born to do; help others. I learned that from you Dad, "Look after the little guys Barry."That's what you always said. I'm looking after those people, and I hope that I've made a difference and that you'll think of me and be proud of the man I've been. Please help the parents of Jeffery. I'm going to do everything I can to get him back to his parents, but if I fail, I need you to help them work through their grief.

Love your son,

Barry.

Folding these together, he started to write another note.

To Jeffery's Mom and Dad,

I am so sorry. I wanted nothing more than to bring your son home to you. I failed and for that I am deeply sorry.

Jeffery has been such a good baby during everything that happened. He is such a wonderful little boy and I'm sure that as a man he would be good, kind and loving.

Sincerely,

Barry Baricza

Then he turned his attention to a final note.

Sindy,

I've been so happy this last year. When you agreed to go out with me I felt like the luckiest guy on the planet. You are beautiful, smart, loving and so many other things I could use all my paper telling you how I feel about you. I wish I had found you sooner and had spent every day from now until eternity with you. I have only one regret in my life and that is not telling you I love you. Please forgive me for holding back on telling you how much I cared for you. I didn't say it because I didn't want to frighten you away. Please talk to my folks and let them know how happy I was with you. It will mean a lot to them. Take care of yourself and let others in.

Love

Barry

He sat the notebook on the front dash, hoping that it would be found there if he failed. Looking at his watch he could see that there would be several hours of light remaining. "No time like the present." He spoke quietly to himself. Carefully, Barry moved the car seat containing the infant into the far back, so that there was more room for maneuvering and a spot to put the earth he would be moving. Rolling down the passenger side window he was pleased to see that the mud had firmed up. Using his hands, he began to dig at the dirt and debris, attempting to make a space outside the window.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Sergeant Getraer had been in his office for the last forty-five minutes with the Lewis family. His door was shut, but Sindy could see shadows through the closed blinds. All afternoon they had been at the station waiting for news about their child; nothing had come in. Now they were discussing the possibilities with the sergeant.

Sindy turned back to the map of the area that was laid out in front of her. It had been divided into grids and as each grid was cleared, she would mark it off. There were only seven more areas to search. She had been telling herself all day that each square brought her closer to getting Barry back. But as the afternoon lengthened, those remaining squares were more like an hourglass running out of sand. "Seven more chances to find them." She whispered it. Saying it aloud made it feel more futile. What if he had managed to go further than the search area? Perhaps someone missed him in one of the clear grids. So many "ifs" were bouncing around her head.

The door opened and a sobbing Mrs. Lewis was ushered out by her ashen faced husband. Sergeant Getraer placed a reassuring hand on Mr. Lewis' shoulder, "I'll call immediately if I hear anything."

"Thank you Sergeant." Mr. Lewis' voice was husky with his own emotions. They opened the door and headed towards their car.

Joe turned, "Sindy, we'll get through the rest of the search tonight."

"What are they planning on doing if nothing turns up?"

"I've spoken to the Chief about that possibility." Joe's face was grim. "He'll keep some officers on the case, but they will scale back the search."

"They're giving up!" Sindy's own voice broke.

"No, but we need to realize that time is no longer in our favor."

"He's out there Sarge. I know he is. I would feel it if he were gone!"

"Mrs. Lewis said the same thing about Jeffery." Joe's voice was rueful. "I'm not giving up on either Barry or that child. I want you to realize that Sindy."

"I know, but I'm so worried that we haven't seen a sign of them."

"We've still got several areas to check. With luck someone will find them."

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Ponch and Jon had finished checking their last coordinates and had received word that there were no new search areas. Jon hung his microphone back up and turned to his partner. "Sounds like we can head on in."

Ponch punched his first into his thigh. "Damn it! I really thought we would find Bear today."

"I know. I feel bad for Sindy. I wish she would have told us earlier. I can't help but think I've probably put my foot in my mouth about something over the last couple of months.

"You? I think I took the cake. How many times did I brag in front of Barry that I was going to get Sindy to go out with me?" Ponch shook his head, "I'd be mad as hell if someone was birddogging my girlfriend."

"Barry should have been an actor, he's been fooling all of us this whole time; Sindy too. I never would have guessed that those two were dating."

"Well, let's get back to headquarters and see if there is anything more we can do." Ponch adjusted his chin strap.

The men started their motorcycles and pulled out into traffic.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Barry had been digging steadily, but it was slow going due to the sticks, rocks and other debris that were embedded in the mud. He had cleared maybe five inches or so from the top when he ran into a large rock. Carefully he worked around it, trying to find the boundaries of it. It soon became apparent that the rock was very large and was effectively blocking his exit from the passenger window.

He moved over to the driver's side window and rolled it down. The mud was over the window, so he would have to dig out a ways and then start removing dirt from above. There was no way of knowing how deep the mud was on this side of the car, but he hoped that it wasn't extreme. The mud from the previous attempt was already making the small car feel smaller.

The baby made a small cooing noise in the back. Determined, Barry set to work again.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Rod had picked up Becky and they had driven to Carrows in Santa Monica. He really wanted to impress her and he thought she would enjoy it. The drive over had been full of her chattering happily about her day. Then they passed a police car.

"Did you hear that they still haven't found the missing baby or cop? It just makes me sick to think about." She turned in the seat towards him and he could see her eyes were watery. "I lit a candle today for them. I wish someone would find them before it's too late."

"I'm sure someone will." Rob wished they were at the restaurant already.

"Oh, I know there are plenty of good people out there, like you Rob. Good decent people who help each other."

"That's what my mom taught me."

Becky smiled, "I think you're a good man Rob."

He smiled back. "You really think so?"

"You're doing the right thing now aren't you? Most guys would have hit the door running this morning. But you, you're a gentleman."

The smile broadened and he reached across and took her hand. "It's easy to do when you have a beautiful woman to spoil." He enjoyed listening to her happy giggle. Being with her made things seem so right. She deserved happiness. Rob thought about what she had said. If he were to call and give the police a push in the right direction, perhaps everything would work out alright. After all, he wasn't close to his own home and they wouldn't be able to trace the call if he made it fast.

He smiled again and picked up her hand and kissed it. Yes, that's what he would do, once they got to the restaurant.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's notes: Sorry for the delay. Start of school usually kills my creativity for writing. I think I use it up on the students! Getting closer. Remember to feed the author.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

His hands were caked with mud and the interior of the car was slowly filling with the mud that he had pulled out of the hole he was digging. It was time consuming because of the branches and other vegetation that was intermingling with the dirt. Barry took a quick breather, setting down on his knees. Looking to the back of the car, he could see that the baby was still sleeping.

He wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his uniform and turned back to the task at hand.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Rob had left Becky sitting at the table and had excused himself. The good feelings that he had been experiencing since picking his date up, faded slightly as he walked towards the bathrooms. There were two payphones on the wall between the men's and women's room. Pulling a dime out of his pocket, he dropped it into the slot.

CHiPsCHiPsCHiPsCHiPsCHiPs

Sindy was sitting at the table that held the search maps, her fingers tracing routes, but nothing seemed to register. "Scaling back the search", that was what Sergeant Getraer had called it. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn't hear Ponch and Jon come into the room.

"Hey Sindy." Jon spoke softly, he could see that the woman's mind was elsewhere.

"Oh!" She sat up straighter and turned towards the voice. "I didn't hear you two come in."

"I didn't think you had." Jon smiled knowingly. "We talked to Sarge."

"Heard the good news? Search scaled back. The department can't waste any more time looking."

"He didn't say that." Ponch jumped in. "They are cutting back but they are still looking."

"But what good will it do if we don't have people looking specifically for Barry? What they are proposing is that we just keep an eye out during our normal patrols." Sindy's voice was full of anguish.

"Nothing says that we can't continue looking on our own." Jon suggested. "I'm sure there are a lot of us that would be willing to look during our time off."

"Yeah," Ponch jumped in. "We could go back over the search grids in our own vehicles."

Grossman walked into the room, holding his helmet. "What is this about our own vehicles?"

"We are going to start looking for Barry after work and we'll use our own vehicles." Ponch filled him in. "In fact, why don't we head to the locker room and get everyone as they come in."

"I'll call some of the guys that have the day off." Grossie volunteered.

"That's it." Jon's tone was encouraging. "I bet we could even call in some of our friends from outside of work. After all, since this isn't official police business, we can get civilians in on the search. Sindy, why don't you get out the coordinates for the most likely areas?"

She smiled at her friends, who were so willing to help. "Right on it. Thanks guys, I can't tell you enough times how much I really appreciate everything you are doing."

"No problem Sindy." Ponch smiled. "I'll go talk to the others."

Just as he was getting ready to go out, Joe Getraer hurried into the room. "We just had someone call in and report on having seen Barry." He started going through the maps on the table. "They said that they had seen a police car chasing the suspect's vehicle in this area." He pointed to an area on one of the maps.

Grossie looked over Joe's shoulder. "I checked that area out today Sarge. I didn't see anything."

"It's an area with plenty of hills and ravines, there is a possibility he is off the road." Getraer remarked.

"Yeah, in fact a section of the road was blocked due to a mudslide. I talked to the county guy working it. If he had seen something I'm sure he would have mentioned it."

"It's still a lead. Can we pull some overtime to go and check it out?" Jon asked.

"Why do you think I came in here? Get your bikes and let's head out. Sindy, let's take your cruiser and ride together."

"Alright. I'll see you in the car." Sindy grabbed the map and hurried for the door.

Jon stopped Joe as he moved to follow her. Waiting for Sindy to leave, he then spoke quietly to his sergeant. "Do you think this is a good idea? I mean, we don't know what shape Bear will be in and I don't want to think the worst, but what happens if the worst happens."

"I've thought about that, but put yourself in her position. Wouldn't you want to be there, regardless?"

"I suppose you are right."

"I'm the boss, of course I am." Joe gave a tight lipped smile. "Let go."

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

The baby was crying from the rear of the car, his cries filling the interior. Barry had squeezed himself into the back seat; now smaller due to the mound of dirt, sticks and rock he had dumped. Reaching back he unbuckled the baby. "I guess it doesn't matter if you get dirty. Come here buddy."

Barry cradled the child gently against his chest. "I know you're hungry, but there's no more." He reached for a bottle that he had prepared with only water. "I hope this makes that tummy fill up. I know it doesn't taste as good, but at least you'll think you're full."

The baby took to the bottle immediately. After the first several sucks, he spit the nipple out and fussed lightly.

"You are too smart for your own good." Barry put the nipple back into the child's waiting mouth.

Another suck and out it popped again. The sounds of a mad cry communicated his displeasure.

"Only thing they're serving here in first class." Barry slid the nipple in again. This time the baby continued to drink for a minute. "See, it's not so bad." He looked around at the now crowded interior of the car. "I hope there is not too much more to dig through, because your mom and dad didn't buy a car with a whole lot of room. It could be worse; we could be in a Pacer."

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

They had pulled up to the barricade and had moved it out of the way so that Sindy's squad car could get through. Continuing down the road, Sindy and Sergeant Getraer were both scanning the ditches as she drove.

Ahead, the motor officer's brake lights flashed and as they all rounded the curve, the mudslide that had closed the road came into view.

Grossie unstrapped his helmet. "The county guy said this was a big one."

"He wasn't kidding. That is a huge slide." Ponch replied as he hung his helmet on the cycle. "Looks like half the hill came down."

"Yeah," Jon replied. "Plenty of mud to cover a vehicle."

"Think that could have happened?" Grossie questioned.

"The 911 caller said this was the area he saw them. It's as good a theory as anything else at this point."

Sindy and Getraer stepped form the car. "Ok, let's look for anything that might tie Barry to this location." Joe shook his head. "I think I might call for an operator for this equipment. If we find something we'll probably not be able to move enough dirt ourselves."

Jon, Ponch, Grossie and Sindy stepped onto the mud at the edge of the slide. They walked along, looking for something that might prove they were in the right location.

"I think we need those poles like they use to locate people in avalanches." Jon commented as they walked slowly along. "Except I don't know how well it would work poking into mud."

"Snow has got to be less slippery than this stuff." Ponch was watching his steps carefully. "I feel like I'm on ice." No sooner than he had spoken, his right foot slipped out from under him. Trying to catch his balance, Ponch over compensated and ended up hitting the ground.

"Ponch! Are you alright?" Sindy made her way carefully to the fallen man.

"Yeah," He rolled over onto his knees and put his hands out to brace himself. "Hold on, I feel something!  
>Ponch began digging at a spot near where his knee had been. "Hey, look." He had uncovered the top of an antennae. "It's an antennae!"<p>

Jon looked at the dirt covered item. "Ponch, that could be from anywhere."

"No Jon. Look, it's still attached." Ponch pulled on it.

"It looks like the type used on our cars." Sindy felt lightheaded. If this was part of Barry's car, it possibly meant he was buried beneath them.

"Go get a shovel Jon." Ponch kept pulling at the dirt surrounding the area. "These aren't that long. If it's still attached the car could be just below us."

Jon and Grossie hurried to get the shovesl and Sindy dropped to her knees and began digging with Ponch. Tears smarted her eyes and she had to keep herself from digging with the frantic speed that panic was urging from her.

Jon, Grossie and Sargent Getraer returned with small shovels. Moving Ponch and Sindy out of the way, they put their backs into the digging. It was only a few minutes later when Jon's shovel hit something with a metallic ring.

A few more shovelfuls of dirt and they could see the black paint job of the car's trunk. The five officers stood quietly for a moment; it was a police cruiser.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's notes: One more chapter to go. Glad you are still along for the ride.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Sergeant Getraer cleared his throat. "The equipment operator should be here soon and we'll be able to get this cleared."

"I'm going to keep working until they get here." Jon resumed shoveling.

"Good idea, no use just standing here." Grossie tossed a shovelful away from the car.

She couldn't help but let the negative thoughts overwhelm her. Standing there and watching the others shovel away the mud encasing the vehicle it was all she could do not to give into the panic that gnawed at her.

They had finally cleared some of the back window and Jon dropped down to peer into the car. "I can't see anything, it's too dark."

"I'll grab a flashlight." Ponch turned and hurried to the squad to grab the large flashlight from it.

Sindy's stomach clenched. "If he was in there he would have heard the digging." Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears.

"He could be hurt and laying in the seat." Jon looked up at Sindy, trying to keep her spirits up.

Grossie moved over closer to her and placed his arm around her in an effort to comfort her. They watched as Ponch skidded his way back through the mud.

"Here you go partner." Ponch handed down the flashlight.

Jon clicked on the beam and directed it into the rear of the car. After a few moments he clicked it off and looked to the others. "He's not in there."

The rush of air from Sindy's lungs and the release of the tension that had been holding her caused her to go limp for just a moment. Grossie's arm steadied her and she braced herself until she could feel the strength return to her limbs.

"Thanks." She murmured to her friend. "So that means he was out of his car when the mudslide hit. If he has safe he would have contacted us already. So we're just looking to retrieve his body."

"No." Joe Getraer's voice was sharp. "Barry was out of his car, but that doesn't mean that he's gone. He could be around here and hurt. Maybe he tangled with the kidnappers and they have him. There are plenty of explanations and unless we do find his body, I refuse to believe he is gone. Now, I think we should start looking around and see if perhaps he is near-by and needs help."

The other men, encouraged by the thought that their friend was still alive, began moving to the outer edges of the slide to begin their search. Sindy looked woefully at the car and started moving in the direction of the steep hill that cut away from the roadway.

The barrier that had been built around the curve to protect traffic from the deep drop off was missing. There was plenty of mud and debris covering the upper portion of the drop off. Scanning the area, Sindy didn't see anything that looked promising as a location for an injured man to use for shelter. Knowing that it would soon be dark, she decided to make her way to the bottom of the hill and start working up the slope.

She went to the edge of the slide and made her way down using the scrub vegetation that was untouched. Once on the bottom she realized that it had been a much steeper incline than it appeared from the top and there were several deep ravines along the entire area.

Starting back up she picked her way along, looking for handholds amongst the debris mixed into the mud. Stopping for a moment she caught the sound of something on the breeze. It sounded like a whimper. Looking around she searched for a bird or animal that might be making the noise. Chancing it she cupped her hands and shouted, "Barry!"

The sound echoed off the hills. Once it had quieted down she listened. Then she heard it, muffled and from a distance, but she heard Barry's voice.

"Jon! Ponch! Guys! Down here! Barry's here!"

She started moving in the direction in which she thought she had heard Barry. She stopped and called for him again. Now she could hear Barry's voice and the wailing of a baby. Sindy hurried for the sounds.

Glancing up she could see Jon, Ponch and Grossie picking their way down the hill to join her. She listened again and was trying to pin-point the noise when it struck her. The car was buried in one of the wider ravines that were carved into the face of the hill.

It was almost too perfect. The entire car was wedged into the ravine and mud had covered it over. Standing on the top of the deep ditch that was carved into the hillside and looking down, she could now make out the very top of the door trim. It was at least three foot down to where the roof of the car would be.

She very carefully slid down onto the mud covering the top of the car. Kneeling near the edge she spoke, "Barry! Can you hear me?"

A weary voice reached her ears amid the sounds of a baby crying. "Sindy? I'm alright. My buddy Jeffrey is fine too."

"Sindy?" Jon's voice sounded to her right.

"Here Jon." She popped up to her feet.

"It looked like you had disappeared. One minute we could see you and the next you were gone."

"The car is wedged in this ravine, no wonder no one could see it. Barry's alright and he has the baby with him." Her voice broke with emotion.

"All right!" Ponch chimed in. "Let's get him out of there."

"Looks like we'll have to go in from the downhill side. It's wedged in there really good. Even if we got the windows open the sides of the ravine are so close, I don't think Barry could fit through." Grossie was assessing the situation. "If we can clear the mud we can pop open the back or the front window, whichever is facing us."

"What are we waiting for then? Let's start digging." Ponch eased himself down onto the car and started shoveling.

Inside the car, Barry could feel his own eyes well up with unshed tears. Now that they had been found, the lack of sleep, aches and pains and emotions caught up with him. Holding the child, he stroked Jeffery's back to sooth his crying. "Everything is going to be alright now. I told you my friends would find us."


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note: I'm so sorry that this has taken this long for an update. School started and with that we moved into a new building. We were literally moving things in two days before the first day of school. So add in the normal stress and multiple it. Plus I ended up acting in a community theater production. Stir in a little bit of writer's block/frustration that hit after I lost my completed chapter 10.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

The men soon had cleared the car's downhill side and discovered that it was the front window facing them. They instructed Barry to cover his face and the child's so that neither would be hit with shattering glass. Moments later, hands reached in to take the baby from him and more were reaching to help him crawl out the window.

Once free, his legs weren't cooperating. Between the swollen ankle and being unable to really move his legs for several days, he had to put most of his weight on the shoulders of Grossie and Jon. Two steps later the cramps hit him as the muscles in his legs contracted painfully. He involuntarily cried out and sagged into his friends.

"What's wrong Bear?" Jon's voice was full of concern.

"Cramps" He replied through clenched teeth.

"Let's get him down." Jon told Grossie. They guided him over to the lip of the ravine and helped him to the ground. Kneeling beside him, they began to knead at the tightened muscles in his legs.

Ponch, who had been holding Jeffery, stood next to Sindy. "See, I told you we would find him."

She nodded, watching the men work to loosen the leg muscles of their friend. Trying to regain her composure she took a deep breath. "I shouldn't have doubted you Ponch." Her tone was overly bright.

Sergeant Getraer had made his way over to the group. "I've got an ambulance on the way." He knelt down as well, "Barry, how are you doing?"

"Fine Sarge. I am pretty hungry for something other than white sandwich bread."

"We'll get you checked over first and we'll try to scare up something for you to eat."

"Deal. How's my buddy Jeffrey?"

Ponch moved closer with the baby, "He's doing just fine. I think he's ready to go back to sleep."

"He's hungry too." Barry replied as he tentatively flexed one of his legs. "We ran out of formula and he's only had water for a while."

"I contacted dispatch and they are sending a car to pick up his parents. They should be here shortly." Getraer looked at Barry. The three day growth of beard, dark circles under his eyes and the muddy uniform looked out of place on the officer. "Do you feel up to telling us what happened?"

"Sure." Barry started retelling the events of the last several days. During his story he tried to make eye contact with Sindy, but he couldn't catch her eye. He had just gotten to the part where the car thief had run away from the car, when Sindy turned and started back towards the trail leading to the top of the ravine.

Sergeant Getraer noticed as well. "Sindy, are you alright?"

"Sure Sarge, just going up to watch for the ambulance."

Grossie chimed in, "I can do that Sindy. Why don't you stay here?"

"No, I've got it." She continued without a backwards glance.

Pausing just a moment, Grossie went ahead and followed her any way.

Barry's face mirrored the confusion he felt. He knew that Sindy wanted to keep their relationship a secret, but couldn't she at least show the same amount of concern as his other co-workers? Had this incident made her change her mind about their relationship?

There were several moments of silence until Barry realized that the others were waiting for him to continue. He cleared his throat and started to talk again.

During the silence, Jon and Getraer exchanged a look; both men were surprised by Sindy's behavior. When Barry paused for a moment, Joe broke in. "Barry, I think you should know something." He waited for Barry's attention. "Sindy told us that you two were dating."

"What?"

"She came in to tell me because she felt that her feelings were getting in the way of searching for you. I told her that you had already told me and she understood why you had. She then decided to tell the others."

"Why? I mean, what changed her mind? I've wanted to let everyone know for a while now but she was so insistent that we needed to keep things quiet."

"She needed the support of her friends Barry. You were missing and I have to admit, I was getting pretty worried that we weren't going to find you."

Ponch smiled at his friend, "Bear, she really shocked us with that. You guys did a good job of hiding it. I was worried I was losing my touch."

"Ponch," Jon chimed in. "I don't think you've ever had it to start with."

"Don't listen to him pal," Ponch addressed the sleeping baby in his arms. "I'll tell you all my A game moves and you'll be the coolest kid in the sandbox."

"So everyone knows. That must be why she's so upset with me." Barry glanced in the direction she had gone.

"I think she's dealing with a lot of feelings right now and she doesn't want to let us see in case she can't hold it in." Jon reached out to his friend. "Do you think you're ready to try to walk again?"

The group made their way slowly to the top of the ravine. By the time they had arrived, they were met by an ambulance crew. At Barry's insistence, they took the baby and began to check him over first. He allowed himself to be guided to the nearest squad car and sat down in the front seat; keeping his long legs outside of the vehicle.

It was ten minutes later that first of the news reporters began showing up. With microphones in hand they sought out the exhausted Baricza.

Thankfully, Sergeant Getraer stepped in to handle the circling reporters. "The Department will be making a full statement after we have spoken with Officer Baricza. "

As Getraer spoke, another squad car, its lights flashing, pulled up on the scene. Moments later an officer escorted Mr. and Mrs. Lewis through the crowd of reporters and over to the ambulance. Cameras swiveled to capture the couple reuniting with their infant son.

The paramedics handed the baby over, proclaiming him in fine health and hungry. Having anticipated that, Mrs. Lewis pulled out a bottle of milk and offered it to Jeffery. Everyone beamed as the baby began to nurse.

With microphones trust towards the happy family, questions began to bombard the couple. Mr. Lewis answered many of them because his wife was preoccupied with feeding the child. Tears were streaming down Mrs. Lewis' face as she cradled her son.

Soon, the questions turned to the role of the Highway Patrol in finding Jeffery. Having regained her composure, Mrs. Lewis smiled broadly in the direction of Barry who was now being looked over by the paramedics. "Officer Baricza is a hero. He rescued Jeffery from those horrible men and then kept him safe. If it wasn't for him," she paused. "I don't even want to think about it."

A pretty, young reporter spoke into her microphone, "Officer Baricza, what can you tell us about your ordeal?"

Barry glanced over at Getraer and saw the slight shake of his head. Turning his attention to the reporter, he smiled tiredly. "I can't share anything right now because this is an active case. But I will tell you that Jeffery was a real trooper and I'm thankful that the CHP has been able to return him to his parents."

Joe smiled as his officer. He had known that Barry would put a positive spin on what could have been a horrible situation.

The reporters seemed to accept that they would be getting no more from either Barry or Sergeant Getraer, so they returned to the Lewis family. Several moved away from the pack and started shooting their opening and closings, keeping the action in their background.

Stepping over to the ambulance, Joe spoke to the lead medic. "So what's the verdict?"

"We are taking him in to get some x-rays of that ankle. I don't think it's broken, but it needs to get checked out."

"How about some food before I starve?"

"Sorry, the only thing we have in the rig is glucose tubes." The paramedic shrugged. "I don't think you're that hungry."

"I'm getting close. Sarge, Grossie normally has a candy bar stashed in his saddlebag, would you check?"

"Sure Barry." Joe smiled and went in search of Grossie.

The paramedic patted Barry's leg. "I hope for your sake he finds something, because when they get ahold of you at the hospital they won't let you eat or drink until you're done."

"I've got five bucks; I could have you drive through McDonalds or Carl Jr's on the way." Barry joked.

"That fast food will clog your arteries faster than anything I know." The paramedic hopped out of the ambulance. "I'm going to go get the parent's signature on some paperwork and then we'll get rolling."

"Sounds good to me." Barry replied. "Food first and then a shower" he thought, "I smell bad enough I can't stand it."

"How are you doing?"

Barry looked up. Being lost in his own thoughts he hadn't heard anyone approaching the ambulance. "They are taking me in to x-ray my ankle."

"Do they think it's broken?"

"They don't think so, but they want to make sure." Barry looked at Sindy and he could see the lingering worry in her eyes. "How are you doing?"

"Me? I'm not the one who has been missing for several days."

"No, but I know it had to be hard on you." Barry's voice was gentle.

"I'm guessing that Getraer told you I told him about us."

"He did. I'm really glad you did though Sindy."

"Barry," Sindy's voice cracked and tears sprung to her eyes. "We, I." She stopped as she searched for the right words. "I can't talk to you right now."

She turned and walked away.


	11. Chapter 11

Whew, sorry for the huge delay. Speech competition season was really busy, plus I had to write the spring play (we perform in two weeks). Add in this flash drive with the majority of the chapter on it being lost for a month. Life is crazy sometimes.

I made one mistake. I have at least another chapter to go.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Barry sat stunned as he watched Sindy walk away from him. The impact of her words had left him numb and when he found his voice to call after her; she had already disappeared from his sight. He was starting to climb out of the back of the ambulance to follow her when the paramedic returned.

"Hey, stay where you are. I've got these signed and we are getting ready to roll. Besides, the sooner you get to the hospital and get that leg checked out, the sooner you can get something to eat."

Joe Getraer rounded the corner just in time to hear the last of the paramedic's words. "Speaking of eating, Grossie didn't have any candy bars with him. He said he was sorry, but he eats when he is stressed."

"It's ok, I'm not hungry." Barry replied, the shock evident in his voice.

"I thought you were starving?" Joe inquired, curious as to the abrupt change in Barry's behavior.

"I'm fine."

Choosing not to dig deeper, Joe let it slide. "I'll meet you at the hospital and we can get your statement after we've feed you."

"Sure Sarge." Barry lowered himself to the gurney and let the paramedic secure him with the safety straps.

Shutting the ambulance's doors, Joe stood back and went through the events of the last few minutes. Barry's attitude had shifted greatly and Joe began to worry about the possibility of a head injury. He approached the driver side door and related his concerns to the paramedic driving. The other man promised to pass the information along to the doctor once they reached the hospital.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Sindy wasn't sure what she wanted to say to Barry. The emotions for the last several days were so close to the surface that she was sure that if she said anything it would be like a dam breaking inside of her. Stumbling over her words, she told him that she couldn't talk right now and then turned away so that he would have to see her crumble.

Ever since she had found the car, Sindy hadn't known what to say or do. She wanted to throw herself into Barry's arms and hold him tight forever. She wanted to find the men responsible and pound them until they felt the pain she had been experiencing. She wanted to celebrate with her coworkers over the joy of finding Barry and the baby. She wanted to scream at her supervisors who had written off Barry's survival. Instead, she chose to walk away and try to sort bring herself back into control.

The area topside was still filled with rescue workers and news crews so she decided to make her way back down the hillside. Reaching the location of the car, she was amazed at how well-hidden it had been. She walked over to the broken front window and peered inside.

The front seat had mud and debris covering it. From the looks of it, Barry had attempted to dig his way through the side windows. The narrow confines of the ravine would have made that impossible but he had still tried. "It would be hard not to lose hope in that situation." Sindy thought.

The back seat held a diaper bag and in the rear she could see assorted can goods. The some of the contents of the diaper bag were neatly on the seat. It appeared that Barry had spent most of his time in the back seat.

Sindy pushed herself back into a standing position and was readying herself to return to the top of the ravine when something caught her eye. In the corner of the windshield's frame was a small note book. She bent to retrieve it and upon opening it she saw that it belonged to Barry. She flipped the pages and saw the note addressed to his parents. Her own name popped up at her as she turned several more pages.

"I shouldn't be reading this." She told herself but she could not take her eyes from the words written to her; words that were intended to be the last she would have ever heard from Barry.

Tears sprung to her eyes again, pushing them away she continued to read. She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear Sergeant Getraer approach.

"Sindy."

She jumped slightly and shut the book quickly. "Sorry Sarge, I didn't hear you."

"Not a problem. I'm heading to the hospital and since you drove, I'll need you to take me."

"Alright."

"I'm a little worried about Barry. His mood really changed from the time we found him until the ambulance left. I told them to look him over and see if he had a head injury we didn't know about."

Knowing that she had left Barry's side so abruptly she was able to guess about the case of his mood change. "I think he was probably upset with me. I told him I couldn't talk to him. I was so afraid that I was going to cry and blurt out things that I don't know if I'm ready to say to him."

"Sindy, I don't want to stick my noise in where it doesn't belong, but I'm going to anyway. Barry is a great guy and you are a wonderful woman. I don't think I could have found two people better suited for one another. I think you need to worry less about what anyone else is thinking and tell Barry how you feel."

"It's just that I don't want to make more of our dating than he wants." She looked at the small notebook. "I found this. He wrote letters because he didn't think he was going to make it."

"Did he leave you one?"

"Yes." Sindy's eye moistened. "He told me that he loved me and that he was sorry he hadn't told me before."

"How does that make you feel?"

"I should have told him before how much I loved him. I kept pushing him away because I didn't want him to get hurt."

"How would that happen?"

"Because I was afraid to let others know about us and I thought he would get tired of my excuses and leave."

"So, thinks have changed. What are you going to do about it?" Joe looked at her questioningly.

Sindy wiped her eyes and forced a smile. "For starters we are going to get to the hospital so that I can see my boyfriend."

Smiling in return, Joe motioned for her to lead the way. The two officers began to pick their way up the hill to the waiting squad.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

The doctor in the emergency room wasted no time in getting Barry scheduled in for x-rays. He had already performed a quick once over and had proclaimed that while slightly dehydrated, Barry seemed no worse the wear for his experience. An I.V. had been inserted and they had even let him have some water.

A nurse had some in with a set of hospital scrubs to replace this dirty uniform. She had also brought some warm soapy water for him to wash his face and arms. She promised as soon as the doctor was done he could take a shower.

Laying back on the gurney, Barry closed his eyes. Sleep wasn't going to happen with the never ending din of the emergency room. He thought about the hurt look he had seen in Sindy's eyes. Had he misread her so badly that he had thought there was more to the relationship than what she wanted?

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Mike was setting at a local bar drinking and working on the buxom red-head that had sat down next to him. The last three drinks had gone down quickly and he was starting to feel pleasantly buzzed. The television above the bar was showing the Dodgers' game, but Valenzulela was throwing like crap and the Reds were winning.

It was during a commercial that the news bulletin broke in. Mike probably wouldn't have noticed it, but the red-head pointed it out. "Oh, they found that cop and the baby."

He looked up quickly and saw footage of the parents holding their child. The next shot was enough to chill his blood. The cop was alive.

Reaching into his pocket, Mike felt the .38 snub nose revolver that he had purchased that afternoon. It was apparent he was going to need to tie up a loose end.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note: Thanks for sticking with me on this. I normally don't drag things out this long, but life has a funny way of getting in the way of my writting; especially now my children are getting older! Thanks for reading. I'm working on a new Flashpoint Fic that has been bouncing around in my head since last year. It has demanded that I write.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Sindy tapped her fingers nervously against the wheel as she maneuvered the cruiser through the traffic. The rainy weather from the last several days had returned and some drivers were going slower; over cautious in case the roadway was slick.

"Sindy, do you want me to drive?" Sergeant Getraer questioned. "I would be happy to if you like."

"I'm all right Sergeant. I guess I'm just a little anxious to see Barry."

"I understand, but we don't want to end up at the hospital ourselves."

Taking the thinly veiled hint, Sindy eased off the accelerator and tried to ignore her desire to speed up and pass the cars in front of her. "Sorry. I didn't realize that I had been going so fast."

"Like I said, I understand. More importantly, so will Barry."

"I certainly hope so."

The two resumed their trip in silence with only the radio providing a break from the quiet.

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

He downed another shot and slammed the glass on the bar. The god-damned cop had been found alive. With the amount of dirt and rock that had come down over that area, there should have been no way that anyone would find the cop. He had even driven back out to the area and had looked around. He had found the spot and had seen the tons of dirt that had covered the roadway and the surrounding ravines. "I thought it would be weeks before they could move enough dirt to discover anything."

Thinking through his options, he pushed himself away from the bar and headed for the door.

"Where you going honey?" The red-head slurred.

"I've got a friend to visit in the hospital."

CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs CHiPs

Barry felt like he had been thoroughly poked, prodded and photographed. His x-rays had come back showing no breaks, but a specialist was going to come in and look at his ankle in the morning. The decision had already been made that Barry would be spending the night under observation. First there was the concern about possible head trauma and compounding the concern was dehydration. The iv was working on bringing his fluid level back up to normal levels.

He had been told they would be moving him upstairs soon as they had a room ready for him. Shifting on the examination table, Barry searched for a comfortable position. The leg cramps were continuing to hit, so he tried to avoid stretching too far.

A knock on the door was followed by the rushed entry of the older nurse who had been taking care of him. The noise level outside the room seemed louder than previously.

"How are you feeling? Any better?" She as in a warm, but brisk manner.

"I'm doing fine. Do you know how much longer until I can move to a room?"

"I don't know. I'm not going to be in for a while. We've just had the victims from a major pile-up come in and until we get everything settled down. Just push your call button if you need anything."

"Will do. Go." Barry knew she was needed elsewhere. "I'm good."

She hurried back out, the sounds of emergency room muffled as the door closed.

Barry closed his eyes and tried to find a comfortable position. He might have started to doze because he felt his eyes open when he heard a faint scraping sound. Turning his head he saw Sindy moving a chair closer to his bed.

She turned to sit and then noticed Barry's eyes were open. "I'm sorry. I woke you up didn't I?"

"It's all right. I don't think I could sleep too much with this bed. It's not very comfortable." He shifted up slightly. "It is better than the backseat of a Hornet."

They both sat quietly for a moment.

"Sindy."

"Barry."

They both began to speak.

"Sorry," Barry replied. "Sindy, I."

Cutting him off, Sindy took his hand. "Barry, I need to ask you to forgive me. I was so worried about you that when we finally found you I didn't know what to say. I should have told you that, but instead I walked away. I know that hurt you, but it wasn't that I don't want to be with you. It was just that I couldn't trust myself not to say everything I felt like saying."

"It's ok Sindy, I understand."

"I don't know if you do. I don't want you to ever think that I don't love you, because I do." Tears welled up in her eyes. "I was so worried that I would never have the chance to tell you that."

"Hey." He squeezed her hand gently. "It's all right. I should have told you too. I wanted to but I was worried that you weren't ready to hear it. I know you want to take things slow and I respect that. But I love you and just can't stop myself from seeing us together forever."

Sindy stood up and kissed him gently. "Barry Baricza, I love you so much."

"Then kiss me again." He pulled her into another kiss. "I could really get used to that."

"I'll do my best to give you that opportunity." Sindy looked towards the door. "Sounds like they are really slammed out there."

"Multi-car pile-up was coming in. They aren't even sure when they will move me upstairs to a room. I'm staying overnight."

"Joe is out in the waiting room. Why don't I go and let him know what's going on. That way he can let the others know. They all want to come and see you." Sindy moved to the door. "I'll be right back."

"I'll be here." He watched her shut the door behind her. He smiled tiredly, content that this world was back on track. Closing his eyes he leaned back against the inclined bed.

The door opened again and he smiled and opened his eyes. "That was fast." The smile on his face disappeared as he took in the sight of a man standing just inside the room; a gun in his hand. Barry glanced to the side, looking for a clear path to move.

"Don't try it pig!"

"Listen, why don't you put the gun down? You don't want anyone to get hurt."

"I'm not planning on this being between anyone but you and me."

Confusion crossed Barry's face. "Us? Do I know you?"

"You don't remember me?" The gunman's face contorted. "Great, just fucking great. I'm worried about you fingering me and you don't even recognize me." He waved the gun back and forth as he spoke, his tone slightly slurred with drink.

"I think that would make putting down the gun and walking away a good idea." Barry swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Don't move!" He ran his hand across his face. "I've got to think."

"Take your time. I'm not going to go anywhere." Barry held out his hands in a placating manner. "Why don' you just lower your gun."

Before the man could reply, the door opened and Sindy walked into the room. The gunman turned, his gun coming around to bear on the female officer.

With the gunman's attention on Sindy, Barry slid from the bed and lunged for the man.

The man spun back around only to be tackled by Barry. The two men went down in a clatter as they knocked into a rolling cabinet of supplies. Barry had the advantage and worked hard to pry the gun from the man's hand.

The gunman pushed upward, throwing Barry slightly off balance. Using his momentum, he tried to maneuver out from under Barry, but Barry pushed back; flattening the man.

The sound of the gun discharging was followed by the sound of flesh striking flesh. Barry slowly rose from the prone form beneath him.

The door to the room flew open as Sergeant Getraer entered with his gun drawn. "What's going on?"

"Barry, you're bleeding!" Sindy exclaimed as she moved closer, searching for the source of bleeding.

"It's from my IV. I'm fine." He reached down and picked up the gun. "I hope that round didn't hit anyone."

"Who is this guy?" Getraer moved to kneel by the gunman, who was beginning to stir.

"That's the damnedest thing Sarge. I don't know." Barry looked down at the man. "He said he was worried about me identifying him."

Sindy took the gun from Barry and gave him a towel to staunch the blood from his IV site. The worry on her face was evident.

Joe hauled the man to his feet and pulled out his handcuffs.

Suddenly recognition dawned and Barry took a good look at the subdued man. "I just figured it out. This is the bank robber who stole the car Jeffrey was in."

Mike shook his head as if clearing his mind. "You should have stayed buried. There is no way anyone could have found that car. I went back myself and checked."

"Somebody knew. We got a call to tip us off to the location." Joe took the man's arm. "I need to let you know that you have the right to remain silent, anything you say may be used against you in a court of law."

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard it before. The last thing I'm going to say before I see my lawyer is the other guy you are looking for is Rod Larson. Do me a favor, when you pick him up, make sure you put him in my cell."

"We'll be sure to give you both your own suite." Joe maneuvered the man towards the door. "I'll transport this gentleman to the station. I'll come back after that to pick you up Sindy."

The nurse who had been checking on Barry stuck her head in. "What's going on? Do I need to alert security?"

"It's under control." Joe smiled and nodded towards Barry. "I think your patient could use a new IV though."

The nurse nodded and left to get the supplies needed.

"Sarge, you don't need to worry about coming back for me. I can ride with you now or I can catch a cab."

"I wouldn't think of it Sindy. Besides, I'm sure you want some more time with Barry."

"Hey, Sarge. Someone did contact my folks didn't they? I don't want them to worry any more than they have so far."

"Don't worry. I had Turner call them once we knew you were safe." Joe exited the room, propelling the criminal forward. "Let's go, shall we?"

The door closed, only to open again as the nurse returned. "Let get that new IV in should we?" She motioned Barry back to the examination table. "I think we better put it in the other arm. Then we can get you upstairs to your room."

Sindy had moved to the other side of the bed, holding his hand.

"Sounds great." Barry smiled over at Sindy. "I could use a little privacy."

The nurse caught the look between the two and laughed. "I think you better hold off on that privacy; at least until you get your electrolyte levels up."

Barry reddened slightly, "I didn't mean I needed that kind of privacy."

"Don't worry. I'm just teasing. Besides, your girlfriend looks like she could use a sit down also. It must have been a rough couple of days for both of you."

"You can say that again." Sindy replied.

Ten minutes later they made their way to the elevator that transported them to the fifth floor and the room that was waiting for him. Stepping back, Sindy let the nurse push Barry's wheelchair out of the elevator. The nurse transferred over care to the floor nurse and bid them good luck and good bye.

A quick check of Barry's vitals and the floor nurse left them with instructions to ring if they needed anything.

Sindy pulled up a chair to the edge of the bed. Before sitting down, she leaned over and kissed Barry. "I love you Barry."

"Love you too."

Sindy sat down and reached for his hand. "Try to get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

"I'm counting on it."


End file.
